Lady and The Tramp
by Ellabee15
Summary: Veterinarian AU Ginny Baker is shocked to see that her newest patient is the dog of one grumpy Padres catcher.
1. Chapter 1

Veterinarian AU

Because what's better than Bawson? Bawson with DOGS!

* * *

Ginny walked out into the waiting room of her clinic. "So, Eliot." she smiled. "Who's on the chopping block for today."

Eliot handed her the list. She looked at the name. "Leia Lawson?" She asked. A man in the corner of the room, holding a corgi got up. Ginny smiled, "follow me." She led them into an exam room. "So." She said, opening Leia's file. "This is Leia's first time at this clinic, right?" She looked up and gulped. Mike Lawson was looking at her, an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Yeah, well." He shrugged. "She's my ex's dog and I wasn't going to bring her to that fancy LA clinic where they give dogs mani-pedis." He held the dog out. "She needs her shots."

Ginny gently took the dog. The dog licked her face, wagging her tail so fiercely her entire lower body shook. Putting her on the table, she turned and looked at Mike.

"I'm sorry, it's just...you're Mike Lawson."

He looked slightly annoyed.

"I'm Ginny. Ginny Baker. I had your rookie card, you've been my favorite player since-"

"Don't..." He said, holding up a hand. "Finish that thought, you'll make me feel old and it makes you look stupid." He looked at the dog, "can you help her?"

Ginny's stomach sank. Looking at Leia, she murmured. "I'm willing to bet she gets her temperament from her mom."

"Be grateful that she didn't." Mike muttered. Ginny frowned at him. Well, she supposed it was true: never meet your heroes. Leia yipped at him, before licking Ginny's fingers.

"Well, what shots does she need?"

"Uh..." Mike blinked. "The usual ones?" Ginny looked at him in irritation.

"Right, of course. I was top of my class in veterinary school so I could learn to administer "the usual ones." She scratched behind Leia's ears. Mike grumbled.

"So what can you do?" He asked. Ginny grit her teeth. He was officially an ass.

"I'll check her microchip." She said.

"She doesn't have one." Mike said. Ginny frowned.

"What?"

"Ra-" He cleared his throat. "My ex didn't want her to get one. Something about an article she read about chips negatively affecting a dog's..." He trailed off as Ginny gave him a glare.

"That's beyond stupid and irresponsible." Ginny muttered. "If she gets lost and doesn't have a collar a microchip would save a hell of a lot of hassle and now I'll have to get her vaccination records the old fashioned way."

"Old fashioned?" Mike said nervously. Ginny grimaced.

"A blood test." Ginny said. Mike's eyes widened. So he cared about the dog; he'd regained some points, but he was still an ass. "The results should be back by the end of the week. If she needs anything, I'll contact you."

Mike nodded. Ginny turned her attention to Leia. The dog was looking at her intently.

"Hi, sweetie. Let's get your weight." She picked her up and brought her to the scale. "Can you sit for me?" She asked.

"She doesn't..." Mike trailed off as Leia sat still. Ginny read the scale and nodded. Picking her up and bringing her back to the exam table. "How did you do that?"

She pulled a treat from the jar on her desk and gave it to Leia. "Dogs respond to tone." She said. "If you say something in a nice tone, they'll listen. If you say something angrily, they'll get defensive." She threw him a pointed look. "It works on humans too."

"Haha." He said, running hand through his hair. "She's been driving me nuts, barking all night, chewing my shoes."

"I'm not a dog psychologist, but maybe she's had a disruption in her life?" Ginny said, checking Leia's teeth.

"Well she lives in my house now, not my ex's." He sighed. "It's not disruptive though, it's quiet most of the time."

"So a change in environment." Ginny said, pulling out her stethoscope and putting it in her ears. Leia's heart beat was strong and regular. No murmurs or anything else that would cause worry.

"Well, my ex took her to spite me." Mike mumbled. "She invited me over last week, practically begged me to take her back."

Ginny rolled her eyes. She highly doubted that it was true, but she decided not to contradict him. He seemed too caught up in his recollection to care.

"And I didn't get back with her, but I took the dog." He gave the dog a half smile. Ginny glared at him.

"I'm not sure I approve of people using a dog as leverage in a separation." She muttered as she opened a drawer to remove a needle for the blood test. Leia whimpered. "Hey, it'll be okay." She knelt so she was eye level with the dog. "It'll sting a little but after I'll give you another treat." Leia's tongue lolled out of her mouth and her lips pulled back in a smile. Ginny scratched behind her ears. "You're such a sweet girl." She said.

Mike was looking at her, bewildered. Ginny arched an eyebrow.

"Instead of gaping at me like a fish, maybe you can hold her? She's not going to like it when I give her her shot."

Mike nodded, going to stand by the table, rubbing his hands in soothing circles on her back. The dog moved closer to him. "You'll be good for Dr. Baker, right?" He rumbled and Ginny noted that he had deliberately made his voice comforting, taking her earlier suggestion to heart. Leia looked up at him and barely flinched when Ginny inserted the needle. Drawing some blood, she grinned.

"Good girl." She motioned to the jar of treats. "Do you want to give her one?"

"She's going to get fat." Mike muttered, but he reached for the jar anyways, grabbing 2.

"Actually she's a bit underweight." Ginny said. Mike's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Not seriously." Ginny reassured. "Are you feeding her dry or wet food?"

"Dry." Mike said. "Once a day."

"Alternate between the two and give her a little in the morning." She scratched behind Leia's ears. "As for her barking and chewing your shoes. She probably needs to get out more. There's this great dog park you can take her to." She wrote down the address on a post it. "It might be good for her to socialize with other dogs."

"My friend Blip has a Yorkie." Mike muttered, taking the address and putting it in the breast pocket of his plaid shirt. Ginny tried to reign in her excitement. Mike Lawson had just told her that Blip Sanders had a yorkie.

"Set up a doggy playdate."

Mike ground his teeth.

"Or dog hang out." Ginny rolled her eyes. "If if calling it that bruises your male ego a bit less." She smiled down at Leia. "Men are so emotional."

Mike chuckled, but it was short and his shoulders tensed with anxiety. "Are you sure her weight's nothing to be worried about?"

Ginny nodded. "See the lab coat?" She pointed at her chest. "It means I know what I'm talking about."

Mike nodded.

"I'll contact you as soon as I have her blood work." Ginny continued. "And even if she's up to date on all her shots you should still set up an appointment for her to get micro-chipped." She gave Leia one last pat before going to the door. "All done!"

* * *

The next day Ginny got up early and took her dog, Satchel, on a run. The dog park was about 5 blocks from her house and it did both of them good. It was enclosed, so she could let him off his leash and go ahead of her. He was a shy dog and preferred to stay close. That morning was unusually cool, and a haze hung over the park, which was bizarre. Ever since she'd moved to San Diego it had been dry and hot. Satchel was turning a corner when he was almost knocked over by a round ball of fuzz half his size. Jumping back, he hid behind Ginny, looking at the ball in suspicion. Ginny gaped as the ball rolled over and grinned at her.

"LEIA" Mike Lawson's voice sounded as he ran down the hill. "Sorry, she's..." He trailed off. "Doctor Baker."

"Mr. Lawson." Ginny said. Satchel, who seemed to understand that the danger had passed, stuck his head out from behind Ginny and sniffed in Mike's direction. Mike, for his part, looked surprised to see her, but his signature annoyed expression came back as he watched Leia waddle over to Satchel. Satchel lowered his nose to sniff at Leia who happily licked his snout. He pulled his head back, sneezing.

"Leia." Mike groaned as Ginny laughed.

"Satchel doesn't mind." She said.

"He might bite her head off." Mike muttered. "I mean look at the size of him and he's definitely part Rottweiler."

Ginny crossed her arms. "And part Labrador. What's your point?" Mike blinked at her.

"I-"

"Are you saying I would allow my dog near another one if I thought he was dangerous?" Ginny cut him off. "I don't know if you noticed, but it's kinda my job to fix dogs, not hurt them." She scrunched her face. "And by fix I didn't necessarily mean... not that I don't do that; it's my job, it's just that it's not the only thing I do." She broke off. Mike was looking reasonably chastened. Leia was playfully darting in and out of Satchel's legs. Satchel was looking up at Ginny for help, unsure what to do with the ball of brown fuzz. "A dog's breed doesn't determine its character." She said, pulling up the sleeve of her sweatshirt. A small semicircle of scar points was visible on her arm. "This was the worst bite a patient ever gave me. Wanna guess what type of dog it was?"

Mike looked at the scar and shook his head.

"A Pekingese."

Mike snorted.

"Laugh all you want it's the truth." She yanked down her sleeve. "Satchel." She said, whistling. Satchel, grateful for the distraction, rushed at her legs, Ginny stumbled forward and grabbed the closest thing she could to stop herself from falling. Unfortunately that thing happened to be the beefy forearms of San Diego Padres starting catcher and team Captain Mike Lawson. He reacted, grabbing her waist and pulling her close so she was pressed against him. They were almost nose to nose.

"Satchel, huh?" Mike said.

"Uh huh." Ginny said, her voice breathy and higher than she felt comfortable with.

"As in Satchel Paige?"

Ginny didn't speak, just nodded. Mike had really nice eyes. Hazel with flecks of green.

"And here I thought I was your favorite player." He sounded smug, even suggestive. Ginny didn't miss the way his hand was sliding down her back. She grabbed it before it could go any lower.

"Well his name used to be Lawson, but I changed it." She gritted out.

"Oh?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I met you and it turns out you're an ass." She pulled away, whistling for Satchel. He was still trying to hide from Leia's enthusiastic attention. She clicked his leash on and turned down the path to continue her run. She could feel Mike's eyes burning into her back as he watched her go. The last thing she heard before she turned the corner and left the park was Leia's mournful howl at having lost Satchel. Ginny kept jogging. Exercise was always a way for her to clear her head. She'd worked herself into a sweat before she realized it was time to go to work and that she didn't have time to go home first.

"What a pretentious, stupid, gropey-" She growled as she and Satchel went into the clinic. Eliot's eyes widened as he took in her appearance.

"Ginny-"

"I'm taking a shower and changing." She said, letting Satchel off his leash. "Also it's bring your kid to work day." She added, motioning to the dog as he rushed over to say hi to Eliot. About 20 minutes later she'd cleaned herself off and was wearing the back up clothes she kept in her locker. Pulling on her lab coat, she walked out. "So." She said, smiling at Eliot. "Today's victims?"

Eliot was about to reply when the door opened and a man walked in. "I have a delivery for Ms. Ginny Baker?" He said, looking down at his clip board. Ginny frowned; she hadn't ordered anything.

"That's me." She said. The man nodded and opened the door to the clinic.

"Bring it in." He called. Two more men carried in a large dog treat. Ginny's jaw dropped. Who...never mind. She knew who. Her eyes narrowed as the delivery man handed her a card.

"To Dr. Baker." She read through gritted teeth. "I'm sorry, please accept these box tickets for the next Padres game and this small present for Satchel as..." She crumpled the note and threw it in the trash. "Yeah that's not going to happen." She muttered, going into her office.

* * *

He was at the park the next morning with Leia. The second the Corgi spotted them she barked excitedly and charged, ripping the leash out of Mike's hand. Satchel froze, his eyes comically wide as though he wasn't sure if he should run or stand his ground. Mike walked over.

"Hi." He said.

"Good morning." Ginny's response was clipped.

"So, interesting thing happened yesterday." He said. "This woman, that I got really expensive tickets for, handed them back to the box office."

"Huh." Ginny said. "Well, and this is just a theory. Maybe she doesn't like the idea that you thought she could be bought."

"Bought?" Mike looked upset. "I was apologizing."

"Most people do that with words." Ginny snapped. "Throwing money at a problem doesn't solve it."

"I'm not sure what I even did wrong." Mike muttered. Ginny scoffed.

"Really? Let's start with you walking into my office while questioning my judgment, then move on to you implying that my dog might be a rabid monster followed by you trying to grope my ass."

"I-" Mike began but Ginny didn't want to hear his excuses.

"I guess you're all the same, aren't you? Think that a woman will just shut up if you tell her what she wants to hear or if you buy her something to cover up for shitty behavior."

"I'm getting the feeling that I'm not the person you're mad at." Mike snapped. "At least, not completely." He amended as Ginny glared. He dropped his gaze. "We're scaring the dogs." he mumbled, motioning to them. Leia and Satchel were looking at the two of them, confusion and nervousness obvious. Satchel growled at Mike.

"Here's a tip." Ginny said. "Talking to someone works better than giving her dog a weight problem." She frowned. "And box tickets suck. If I wanted to go to a baseball game, I'd get something closer, where I could actually feel like part of the game, not like I'm in some bubble, safe from everything that makes a baseball game a baseball game."

"That a hint for next time?" Mike said.

"There's not going to be a next time." Ginny said. "Stop trying to figure me out, Mr. Lawson; you suck at it." She turned and walked away. about a foot away she was pulled back by Satchel. He was looking a Leia and whined slightly. "Are you serious?" She grumbled. Mike held up his hands.

"Don't look at me. You told me about this park and that I needed to socialize my dog more. It's not my fault she imprinted on yours."

Ginny huffed and whistled. Satchel whined but followed.

* * *

The next morning Mike was at the park with Leia. Ginny sighed and let Satchel off the leash. He sat and watched as Leia came over. Mike was standing at a distance, clearly waiting to see what Ginny would do. She wasn't going to talk to him, she had more important things to focus on, like her morning jog. She let Satchel play with Leia while she jogged the perimeter of the park. The burning made her forget, because Mike had been right the day before. Part of her anger wasn't directed at him, but at Trevor. Even a year later the incident had still stung. She was on her second lap of the park when she realized she wasn't alone. She looked over at Mike. He was keeping time with her.

"I misread the moment." He said, his breath coming out in puffs. "When I...I thought you were flirting with me and I'm sorry."

Ginny gave him a jerky nod and sped up. Mike matched her speed, a cocky grin forming on his lips. She realized it was probably stupid to try and outrun someone who ran bases professionally, but she didn't care. Even if she'd picked the dress, a part of her was still the competitive ball player her father had wanted her to be. She strove to be the best and she would be damned if she let Mike Lawson out run her. She broke into a sprint. Mike adjusted his pace to match hers. Match, not outrun. She grit her teeth and with a final burst of energy passed him. Mike slowed, grimacing. She glanced over her shoulder, ready to gloat triumphantly, but...he was doubled over his hands on his knees.

"You've got a pair of legs on you...in that you run fast." He said, straightening up, his back and legs cracking. "It wasn't me trying to make a comment on how great your legs look." He winced in pain. Ginny grimaced.

"So it's true." She motioned to his legs. She'd heard that he'd had knee problems, but a part of her had never imagined that the Mike Lawson would ever not play for the San Diego Padres.

"Well, I'm not as young as I used to be." He said.

Ginny glanced at the ground.

"I um...I have an away game tomorrow so...I won't see you in the morning."

"Okay." Ginny shrugged.

"Okay..." Mike said. "Just...thought you should know."

"Fine." Ginny turned and was about to whistle for Satchel, when she paused. "Who's going to take care of Leia?"

"She's staying with Blip's family." Mike said. "Maybe when I come back..." He hesitated. "If we find ourselves at this park at the same time...you can beat me at another race?"

Ginny tilted her head. "I feel like that's elder abuse." She looked over at Satchel who was watching as Leia rolled in the grass in front of him. "But Satchel's never been good at making friends. He's too in his own head." She glanced at Mike. "So maybe he could see Leia."

* * *

The next day, Leia's bloodwork came back. She wasn't due for any vaccines and Ginny had Eliot leave Mike a message explaining that. It was a slow day at the clinic. She was going over notes on her desk when Eliot stuck his head into her office.

"There's a woman here who needs to see you about her dog. She said its an emergency and-" He jumped out of the way as a well dressed woman carrying a yorkie pushed into the room.

"You're Dr. Baker?" She said.

Ginny nodded, unsure how to respond. The woman looked her up and down.

"Well now I understand why Mike's lost his head." She grinned.

Ginny blinked. "Who are you?"

"Evelyn Sanders." She held out her hand. "And your number one fan, Dr. Baker."

"How do you know who I am?" Ginny said. Then paused. "Did you say Sanders?"

Evelyn nodded.

"As in-"

"Blip Sanders is my husband." She waved dismissively. "He's amazing, I know, but tell me about..." She put the yorkie down on the exam table before pointing at Ginny. "You."

Ginny rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the completely weird situation.

"Don't take this the wrong way." She said. "But I don't know you."

"Which is why I'm here." Evelyn said, moving around the office. "Mike's a good friend of my husband's and he went to visit Rachel. That never ends well, he mopes around for days. This time he took Leia, which, if you ask me was a long time coming. Rachel was fine with the idea of a dog but not with the actual responsibility of a dog. So he's in his usual post Rachel mood and then he takes Leia to the vet...and then all of a sudden he's...different." Evelyn tilted her head. "And then he came to me for advice." She wrinkled her nose. "Which frankly is a sign of sanity. I mean, I give great advice, but Mike's not great at accepting or asking for help from others."

"And you're the one who suggested he buy me ridiculous gifts?"

"God no." Evelyn said. "I said he should apologize and try to get to know you." She tilted her head. "What did he get you?"

"Baseball tickets and a giant dog treat for my dog."Ginny mumbled.

"Huh." Evelyn frowned. "Well, at least that's different from his usual routine of jewelry and huge flower arrangements."

Ginny frowned. "He's never bought baseball tickets for a girl before?"

"No." Evelyn grinned. "He doesn't get girls gifts that might inspire a connection past one night." Ginny looked away, focusing her attention on the yorkie.

"Is he okay?"

"Oh he's fine, I lied to get in here." Evelyn said, flippantly. "So. This..." She pulled a pair of tickets from her purse. "Is for next week's game at Petco. Right behind home plate. And this..." she held up a pass. "will get you into the clubhouse."

"Who says I want to go?" Ginny said, but she reached for them anyway.

"Mike's a good guy." Evelyn said. "A bit rough around the edges and...doesn't make the best first..or second impression, but...once you get to know him, he's a giant teddy bear."

"I suppose the beard helps the image." Ginny mumbled. Evelyn grinned.

"I like you." She said. "A strong woman who doesn't take shit and has him spinning in circles. The two of us should hang out some time." She picked up the dog. "Oh one more thing. My husband likes dressing up this poor thing in stupid outfits. Can you give me a medical reason that he shouldn't?"

Ginny blinked. "Sorry." She said. "Not one that I can think of."

Evelyn sighed. "Could you make one up? Throw in a few big science words to make it sound believable."

Ginny laughed.

"Well." Evelyn said. "It was worth a try." She pulled out a card. "That's my number, I expect a call." She walked out, leaving Ginny holding the tickets, completely bewildered.

* * *

Mike wasn't at the park for the next few days. Not that Ginny was looking for him. It was her routine and he'd intruded on it. She didn't like unexpected variables and Mike Lawson spontaneously showing up to her morning work out was as unexpected as it got.

It wasn't until four days later that he was there with Leia. She wasn't relieved to see him. If anything, it was just her being happy that Satchel would stop moping if he saw Leia. Mike was sitting on a park bench, sunglasses on. Ginny let Satchel off the leash. She waited for Mike to say something, but he just watched her. She put her hands on her hips.

"Someone's in a mood."

"My knees are... Less than ideal." He stretched them out in front of him. "And I really didn't need the ego bruising that running after you would cause." He watched as Satchel sat in the grass, happily watching Leia run circles around him. "Your dog has it bad."

"My dog?" Ginny snorted. "Leia's the one who's flirting with him."

Mike arched an eyebrow. "Are you insulting my little princess?"

"Your princess?" Ginny snorted "What happened to she's my ex's dog and chews up my shoes?" Mike crossed his arms and didn't reply. "So, how was the game?"

"Giants won." Mike grunted. "We're playing the Cardinals next week."

"Stellar recap." Ginny said. "You should be a sports caster." She paused. "Wait...the Cardinals?"

Mike arched an eyebrow. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Nothing." She ignored the swooping sensation in her stomach. "I just..." She didn't to tell him about Evelyn's visit and certainly didn't want to discuss Trevor. "I hope you win."

"Yeah you do." Mike said. "Seeing as I'm your favorite player."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Was it just the rookie card or did you have note books with Mrs. Mike Lawson written in them?"

Ginny snorted.

"I bet you had a big poster of me." Mike nudged her. Ginny tried not to think about the poster.

"I know you're trying to cheer yourself up, old man." She shot. "But you flatter yourself way too much. When I said you were my favorite player, I was sucking up to you because I figured it might make you want to come back to the clinic."

"I'm hearing a change in subject," Mike said, smirking at her "but not a denial."

Ginny looked him straight in the eyes. "I did not have your poster on my wall." Mike was staring at her intently.

"Sure you didn't." He said, looking back at Leia and Satchel. "So, I'm going to need an appointment for Leia. to get a microchip."

"Call the office and have Eliot set it up." Ginny said, getting up and whistling. Satchel reluctantly walked over.

"He's head over heels and doesn't want to leave." Mike said. Ginny was about to respond when Leia sat in front of Satchel, blocking his path, her eyes wide. Ginny laughed as Mike grit his teeth.

"Yeah." She said, shaking her head. " _He's_ the one who's got it bad."

* * *

Mike saw her behind home plate the second he walked up. Lifting his catcher's helmet, he squinted, not believing what he was seeing, but there she was. Dr. Ginny Baker, wearing a Padres hat and jersey. Her eyes locked with her and she gave him a small smile. Briefly he wondered if she was wearing his number and unsure why that idea was so appealing for him.

He was pretty confident about the game...until Trevor Davis came up to bat and looked directly at Ginny. He glanced over at her to see that she'd ducked her head, her shoulders tensed. Davis seemed momentarily surprised, then his entire body language changed. He was posturing. Mike gritted his teeth. He clearly knew Ginny but...how? and how well? He called for a curveball. Footage of Davis told him that he was overconfident and tended to swing outside the box. He swung and missed. Mike smugly listened to the umpire call strike one. Davis grit his teeth. He wasn't going to put on a show for Ginny; not if Mike had anything to say about it.

Davis hit a foul ball. He'd begun to run before it was called. Stumbling he had to do the walk of shame back to home plate. Mike lowered his head, unsure if the catcher's mask was enough to cover his smug look. Mike called for a change up...and Miller waved him off to throw his fastball. Mike grit his teeth as the crack of bat connecting with ball lanced through his ears. Davis took off. Sal picked up the ball and threw it to Javanese who caught it just a Davis made it to first base.

"Safe." The umpire called.

"Are you blind?" Mike shouted. Davis shot him a smirk, then turned his attention to Ginny. Mike glanced over at her. She wasn't looking at Davis or anywhere near first base. Her eyes were on him. He gave her a small nod before focusing on the next batter.

* * *

Ginny's plan was to leave as soon as the game was over. However she hadn't factored in the tenacity of Evelyn Sanders. Before the game was even Over, Evelyn was at her elbow, bringing her into the clubhouse.

After a wild run around the inside of the clubhouse, dodging reporters, saying hi to different Padres, Evelyn finally pulled Ginny towards the field. Sonny Evers had told her Mike was out there with Tommy Miller.

"What did I say about shaking off my calls?" Mike's voice carried over the field. Ginny looked towards homeplate. Glancing at Evelyn, she whispered.

"Should we even be here?"

Evelyn smirked.

"I thought the fastball was the best call." Miller replied.

"Right, and of course because you've got so much experience in all your many years of baseball, the batter missed the ball." Mike's face took on a mock look of surprise. "Oh wait...no." He was about to say more when he caught sight of Evelyn and Ginny. Pulling off his hat, he ran a hand through his hair. "Ev...Dr. Baker."

Miller glanced at them dismissively before looking at Mike. "Can I go now, captain?" Mike frowned at the heavily loaded sarcasm in his title and turned to berate him.

"Mike's right."

It took Ginny a second to realize that she was the one who'd spoken. Miller shot her a look that was pure disbelief.

"And what would you know about that?" He asked.

Ginny swallowed. "Davis is a straight hitter. A fast ball wouldn't fool him. The way to have gone about it would have been to throw a curve or a screwball."

Miller laughed while Mike's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Screwball?" He said.

"Right." Miller turned back to Mike, "leave the baseball to the professionals and go back to playing with your test tubes, Doctor."

Mike shot him a glare before turning back to Ginny. "As much as I hate to do anything that can remotely be considered agreeing with this guy." He jerked his head in Tommy's direction. "The screwball's practically impossible to get right."

"I can." Ginny didn't know where this was coming from. Miller laughed and even though Mike kept quiet, he pressed his lips together to contain a snort. It was their disbelief that made Ginny's nervousness evaporate. Walking up to them, she held out her hand. "Glove." She said. Miller shook his head and opened his mouth, presumably to tell her to fuck off, when he was interrupted by Mike.

"Give her your glove, Miller."

Miller was about to protest, but one glance at Mike and the steely look in his eyes made him sigh and hand over his glove. Mike handed her a ball.

"Show me what you've got, Dr. Baker."

Ginny felt a thrill run through her as she turned and walked to the mound. She was about to pitch in Petco Park to Mike Lawson. It had been a while since she'd done this seriously, once in a while she'd throw a screwball for Satchel to get when they played catch. Looking back at Mike and Miller, she focused, emptying her mind of everything except for the ball in her hand and Mike Lawson's glove in front of her. She let the ball loose, watching as it spun towards Mike's glove. It struck the center of his glove with a dull thud. Mike's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Miller had gone pale. Evelyn clapped. Mike straightened up and jogged to the mound.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded. Ginny met his eyes.

"My dad was a baseball player, almost went pro, but..." She shrugged. "I had an arm, he taught me how to use it."

Mike looked dumbstruck. Handing her the ball, he glanced at it. "Can you do it again?" He murmured. Ginny nodded.

He turned and walked back to the plate. Squatting behind it, he held up his glove. Ginny was dimly aware of other members of the Padres coming onto the field. She pulled her arm back and threw another screwball. There was a murmur of surprise and disbelief through the other players. Mike looked down at the ball in his hand.

"Hey Miller." He smirked. "You can't even throw like a girl."

* * *

Mike skipped the ice bath, a decision he knew he'd regret later. After the revelation that Ginny had an arm, Evelyn had invited her to dinner at the Sanders house. He'd volunteered to drive her. A quick shower and change and he was walking out to her. She was leaning against the wall, waiting for him...when Trevor Davis walked up to her. Mike watched as he tried to talk to her, but she brushed him off; her stance completely uncomfortable. Then he said something that made her entire body freeze.

"Everything good, Dr. Baker?" He said, walking up to her. Ginny nodded, shaking off whatever Davis had told her and moving away towards Mike. Davis' eyes narrowed.

"Ginny." He said. "I'm sorry about..

"It doesn't matter." She brushed him off. Walking out of the park, she stopped in front of parking garage. "Today was fun, but...I should go."

Mike frowned. "Why? I mean we were going to dinner."

Ginny seemed nervous. "Look, I..." She bit her lip. "I have an early day tomorrow and-"

"I don't see why-"

"What are we doing, Mike?" She looked at him. "You're clearly still hung up on your ex wife and I'm..." She backed away. "This is a bad idea, I mean, your dog is my patient." She turned and ran. Mike was dumbfound. He shook his head, not sure what to make of her. Getting in his car, he wondered what the hell Davis could have said to upset her. The Ginny who'd run from him just now was nothing like the confident woman who'd pitched 2 perfect screwballs to him. He drove to the Sanders house. Evelyn opened the door and looked behind him. Seeing the lack of Ginny, she frowned.

"I didn't do anything, I swear." He said.

"Seriously, Mike." She stepped aside, ushering him in.

"I didn't." He insisted as he walked into the house. The twins ran up to him and jumped on him. He staggered under their weight "She just...ran."

"Uh huh." Evelyn didn't sound convinced.

"So." Blip said, coming over to him. "Where's the pitching veterinarian?"

"Mike scared her away." Evelyn walked into the kitchen. Mike glared after her as Blip sighed.

"I didn't."

Blip looked at him curiously. "You're upset."

"Well, duh." Mike watched as the boys went off to pester their mother to get a bit before dinner. "Having a woman run away from me kills my rep."

"Mike you know you haven't had a meaningless fling in almost a month." Blip said. "A stretch of time that coincidentally lines up with you getting Leia back from Rachel...and taking her to a certain Dr. Baker." He opened the fridge and grabbed two beers. Mike took the one he held out to him and followed Blip outside.

"What are you trying to say?" he muttered, opening his beer.

"Just that you need to stop shooting yourself in the foot." Blip said. "I know you don't want to hear it, but you've never moved past what Rachel did to you."

"I have moved on plenty." Mike smirked. Blip rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I mean." He said. Mike knew he was right. He sat in a deck chair and looked up at the sky.

"It's hard, man." He said. "You're lucky. The perfect woman just...fell into your lap, but..." He ran a hand through his beard. Blip sat in the chair next to him, leaning forward to listen. "I'm tired of being alone all the time." He looked over at Blip. "And for the record, it was Davis' fault."

"Davis." Blip said slowly. "The Cardinals' catcher."

"He...talked to her and...it freaked her out." Mike rolled the beer between his hands. "I'm not sure what to do."

"Well." Blip said, a small amused look stealing over his features. "She's still Leia's vet."

* * *

Pictures. Trevor's phone had been hacked and now...she didn't flatter herself to think that she was important enough to cause them to be leaked and Trevor didn't have enough of an established career to make a real scandal, but...she still felt annoyed. Those were private pictures. It was a violation. How could Trevor have been stupid enough to not check his cloud?

She'd thrown herself into her work. Mike hadn't shown up to the park for the next three days. Ginny didn't know why she'd expected him to be.

That night she was getting into bed when the doorbell rang. She sat up and walked over, wondering who would come by this late at night.

"Dr. Baker." Mike's voice was accompanied by hammering at the door. "Please, it's an emergency."

Ginny opened the door. He pushed past her, holding Leia.

"She ate about half a bar of chocolate." He explained. Ginny motioned him towards the dining room table.

"I'm going to need to induce vomiting." Ginny ran to the bathroom, opening cabinets, pushing aside bottles until she found the hydrogen peroxide. Mike was gripping the side of the table, looking at Leia, completely distraught. "Open her mouth." She ordered, putting a small dose in Leia's mouth and closing it.

"Now what?" Mike asked.

"We wait." Ginny said, scratching behind Leia's ears. 'What type of chocolate?"

"Milk chocolate." Mike put a hand to the side of Leia's head. "She opened a cabinet. I don't know how, but I found her when she was halfway through it. It's bad, right? Really bad?"

"You came straight here?" Ginny said. Mike nodded. "Then no. Milk chocolate doesn't have as much of the chemical that's harmful to dogs. If she throws up, she should be in the clear."

On cue Leia began retching. Mike held her as she threw up the contents of her stomach.

"Good girl." Ginny whispered. Mike let out a sigh of relief and sank to the floor. "She's not out of the woods yet." She murmured. "I'm going to have to monitor her for the next few hours." She sat next to Mike and leaned against the cabinets. "She'll be okay." She said, putting a hand to his shoulder. He nodded, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Thank you." His voice was soft. Ginny smiled.

"It's my job." She said matter of factly. "Not to sound insensitive, but how did you know where I live?"

"Evelyn." Mike said, he looked over at her. Ginny got up and walked over to the coffee machine. She pulled out two mugs. Satchel sat next to Mike and put his head in his lap.

"Stop moping." She said. "She'll be okay."

"I know." Mike said, rubbing Satchel's back. "She's got the best doctor." Ginny handed him a cup of coffee. He stood and accepted the mug. "So," he said. "The guys will not shut up about you and your flawless screwball." He took a sip. "Al's been threatening Miller that he'll hire you if he doesn't get his ass in line." He took Ginny's mug so she could pick Leia up. She carried her to the living room, sitting on the couch. Mike sat next to her. Leia wriggled so she was sitting across Mike's legs. Mike looked down at her.

"You terrible monster." He said, giving her a smile. "You had me worried."

Satchel walked over and bumped Leia's nose with his.

"I like what I do, Mike." Ginny said, smiling down at Leia. "But if you ever need someone to put Miller in his place, I'd be happy to help."

Mike looked over at her, his eyes looking over Ginny. "Nice shirt." he remarked, handing her her mug. Ginny looked down and swallowed as she realized she'd worn her Mike Lawson jersey to sleep.

"It's laundry day." She said. Mike snorted.

"So we can add shirts to the list, after rookie cards, posters-"

"There was no poster."

Mike smirked, lifting his mug. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Methinks the man has an unjustifiably big ego." Ginny shot back.

"Oh it's justified." Mike smirked. They fell silent as Leia let out a burp. Ginny rubbed her stomach.

"She's fine." She reassured Mike. He scowled.

"I'm not worried." He mumbled. Ginny hummed in amusement. "So what did Davis say to you?"

Ginny froze, spilling coffee over her hand. "huh?"

"Davis said something to you." Mike said. "What is it?"

Ginny ran her fingers over the rim of her cup. "It's my business." She said.

"Okay." He said. "Well, whatever it is...he's not worth you upsetting yourself over."

"Oh?" Ginny arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's not a great ball player. Way too cocky."

"Sounds familiar." Ginny muttered. Mike chuckled.

"Except I had the talent to back it up." He said. "And what kind of self respecting catcher keeps himself clean shaven?"

Ginny couldn't help the snort. "The type that doesn't want birds nesting on his face?" She drummed her fingers against the mug, looking at Leia. Mike grunted. "it ended badly with him. He...he lied to me, he kept telling me he wanted to get serious, that he was giving up baseball." She looked at her mug. "But he'd been meeting with scouts behind my back. He thought...he thought it would be easier for me if it was a surprise. Because he needed to handle me." She took a sip of coffee. "Then he um...tried to convince me that it was my fault he'd lied to me." She shrugged. "I left him and never looked back."

"Good." Mike said. "I mean..." He ducked his head as Ginny looked at him. "He's an asshole."

Ginny shook her head. "Well, it seems to be a catcher thing."

"And yet." Mike poked her in the shoulder. "You're wearing my jersey."

Ginny looked at the ceiling. "Oh you're never going to let this one go."

"Oh no." Mike smirked. "I have so many jokes planned for dinner."

Ginny's eyes widened and she shifted, looking at the mug. "Dinner?" She asked. "Seems like the kind of thing I would have to agree to first."

Mike smiled. "Ginny Baker." he said. "Once we find out if my dog isn't dying would you consider having dinner with me?"

Ginny tilted her head. "One condition." She said. "We bring the dogs."


	2. Chapter 2

Mike wasn't freaking out...okay maybe he was...slightly. He'd gone over the details for his date with Ginny about a hundred times. He wanted it to be perfect. It had been difficult to find a place to have dinner with their dogs that wasn't an annoying hipster restaurant that put gluten free charcoal on everything and made him feel old, so he'd decided to go for a late lunch that could lead to dinner if they sat for long enough.

Ginny was late. He wasn't going to read into that. She was a serious vet and probably had a busy schedule. Leia looked up at him, whining. He'd told her that she'd be seeing Satchel and ever since she'd been bouncing off the walls. Sitting in the dog cafe, wearing a leash limited the amount of diva room she had and since Satchel wasn't here, she was moping.

The good news was no one had recognized him as of yet. His hat and sunglasses were obscuring his face and he was grateful for this fact. He didn't want anything interrupting his time with Ginny.

"Hey." Ginny walked up to him, Satchel at her heels. He peaked out from behind her legs, his tongue lolling out. Leia charged and Mike was grateful that he'd had the foresight to tie her leash to his chair as he was sure she wouldn't let anything get in between her and Satchel. She was embarrassing.

"Hey." He said, standing and pulling out Ginny's chair. She arched an eyebrow, but accepted his gallantry. Satchel sat next to Leia, letting her bounce around him. "So..." He tried to think of something witty or smooth to say but all that came out was: "How's work?'

"How's work?" Ginny shook her head, an amused smile.

"Right..." He winced. It wasn't the most original opening line. "I'm making this awkward." Although that be a good thing because Ginny probably would have seen right through his usual routine.

"No." Ginny gasped. Then throwing him a bone, she smiled. "Work is good. I would have been on time, but a man came in to get stitches."

"A man?" Mike said.

"Yeah." Ginny shrugged. "He was a low level criminal and thought all vets secretly perform untraceable surgery in the back behind the dog bowls." She laughed as Mike looked at her dumbfound. "Too much tv." She shrugged. "The police came in two seconds later and took him away."

Mike nodded. "I have to say that's probably the craziest excuse a woman has ever had for being late."

"Women lying to get away from you is a regular occurrence?" Ginny asked, picking up the menu. "I'm shocked.

"Ha" Mike smiled, settling into the easy rapport he and Ginny had. As long as he wasn't treating it as an official date, he wouldn't be as awkward. He and Ginny worked well together, there was no need to put undue pressure on it. Under the table, Leia had tired herself out and was on her back, pressed to Satchel's side, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Ginny snorted. Mike's eyes narrowed. "Got something to say about my princess?" He said. Ginny shook her head.

"No." She reached down and scratched Leia's stomach. "I'm glad you've finally admitted you adore her, though."

"Oh no." Mike said. "She's still the bane of my existence. It's just that I don't want her to torture anyone else."

"He loves you." Ginny said, grinning as Leia swiped her tongue across her fingers. Mike cleared his throat. Both of them ignored him and Mike wasn't sure who he was more jealous of for taking the other's attention away from him.

Fortunately the waiter came to the table, pulling Ginny's attention back from the dogs. Ginny surprised both the waiter and him by ordering the jalapeno cheese burger. Mike grinned, the waiter looked horrified.

"Are you..." He glanced over at Mike, giving him a nervous smile before turning towards Ginny and dropping his voice. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer a salad?" Ginny gave him a patient smile.

"I'll also have a plate of curly fries." She said, handing him back the menu. "And a grape soda."

Mike grinned up at the flummoxed waiter. "The same, except I'll have a beer."

The man frowned and walked away. Ginny and Mike waited until he was out of earshot before laughing.

"Does he think women don't eat?" She asked.

"Not on dates." Mike said. "Also, can I say how good it is that you don't pretend you only eat like a rabbit?" Ginny grinned and ducked her head.

"You say that now because you haven't actually seen me eat." She said.

Mike was just about to relax...which was of course when everything went wrong.

* * *

"Is that Mike Lawson?"

The words made all the color drain from Mike's face. Ginny looked over her shoulder. There was a group of women, around her age, looking directly at them. Well, Mike. He dropped his head, mouthing a quiet "sorry".

She should have expected this. Sure there had been a few groupies around Trevor when they were dating but he'd been a minor leagues player. Mike was on his way to being in the Hall of Fame. The women walked over.

"It is you." The leader of the group, a blonde with a tan and a tight pink dress stopped at the edge of the table, leaning over and pouting. "You never called me."

"Um." He stammered, his eyes flickering over to Ginny. The situation would have been hilarious if she had been watching it happen to someone else. "I've been busy." He said slowly.

The blonde pouted again and her friends let out face laughter while throwing catty looks at Ginny. Satchel, who had sensed Ginny's discomfort, stuck his nose out from under the table.

"I'm free tonight." She continued. "My schedule is wide...open." She added a wink as though her innuendo hadn't been transparent enough.

Ginny looked at her in disgust. Was she seriously flirting with Mike with her sitting right there? And more importantly, why wasn't Mike shutting her down. He was staring at the two of them, looking like a deer in the headlights. As though he thought that if he didn't move, the situation would resolve itself. Ginny leaned back in her seat. She wasn't going to dig him out of this hole.

"I'm busy." He said. "This is Ginny. She's my..." He trailed off. Ginny couldn't necessarily blame him for not being able to put a label on what they were, this was a first date... although it was going up in flames. "Um. She and I are going to be busy."

The blonde looked over at Ginny and sniffed before turning her gaze back to Mike a renewed determination in her eyes. "She can come to, if that's what it takes." She looked over at her friends. "I mean, you remember how much fun you had with me and Vanessa last time." A brunette behind Ginny laughed. "Don't you want some more Candy?"

Mike's jaw dropped. Leia was less tactful. Growling at the woman, she was about to make a run at her. Ginny grabbed her and put her on her lap. That didn't stop Leia from barking at the blonde.

"What the hell?" The blonde looked angrily at Leia and Ginny, guessing that the dog belonged to her. Leia was trying to make a break for it, wriggling violently in an attempt to attack the blonde. Ginny felt a rush of affection for the small dog, even if she was crazy. Standing, she dumped her in Mike's lap.

"i should go back to the clinic." She said. "I've got a surgery to prep for." It wasn't true, but she didn't want to spend one more minute in that cafe surrounded by Mike's groupies.

"Ginny, wait." Mike said. Ginny grabbed Satchel's leash and left, somehow managing to maintain enough control to not run from the cafe.

He was waiting for her outside her apartment when she got home that night.

"Hey." He said, his expression guilty.

Ginny looked behind him. He frowned in confusion.

"Sorry, just looking for Vanessa and Candy."

Mike winced. "They're not here."

"Shame." Ginny said. "I feel like they would really have shown me a good time." She unlocked the door and walked in. Mike stood awkwardly in the entrance. Satchel ran up to him and licked his fingers.

"I didn't want you to have see that...aspect of me." He admitted. "But I'm not going to pretend that I haven't had sex before."

Ginny laughed. "If you think it was the fact that you had sex that was the problem then you clearly weren't paying attention." She turned. He still hadn't moved, his hands were shoved in his pockets and his shoulders were slumped. She took pity on him. "Come inside."

"Not part of my plan, doctor." he said.

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Your plan?" She said slowly. He nodded.

"Grab Satchel. I'm going to make it up to you."

Shaking her head, she grabbed his leash. Walking towards the door. "If you think you're up to the challenge." She said.

Leia was in Mike's car and when she saw Ginny and Satchel she started barking so hard, she fell off the seat. When Mike opened the back door to let Satchel in, she launched herself at him, knocking both of them over in a tangle of limbs, tails, and fur. Ginny snorted as Mike face-palmed. "Restraint, Leia." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just once."

The drive was silent. Ginny glanced intermittently at Mike. His eyes were focused on the road, but his jaw clenched every time she looked over at him. A faint blush was creeping up the tops of his cheeks. She wondered how far under the beard it reached.

"Enjoying the beard?" Mike said as though reading her thoughts. She scoffed.

"Wondering how much of your caloric intake goes to maintain its life force." She shot back. Mike smirked.

"You love it." He turned the car and pulled into a parking space. "And as much you're probably dying to express your adoration for it. We're here."

Ginny squinted out the window. "And where is here?" She asked, getting out of the car. A sea breeze hit her face the second she stepped out. She inhaled, smiling and shivering slightly. It was cold and she hadn't planned to be outside. Mike opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a sweater. Taking off his leather jacket he draped it over her shoulders, pulling on the sweater. He pulled out a bag and a blanket. Shutting the door, he let out the dogs.

"A buddy of mine owns this stretch of beach." Mike explained, pointing to a house. "He's not here; he spends summers in the Hamptons, but he lets me come out here from time to time." He began walking towards the beach. "We're miles away from any Candy or Vanessa."

"I'm sure you're heart broken." Ginny smirked as she pulled the jacket closer around her, trying not to inhale his scent and failing. Mike smelled like sandlewood, mint and something woodsy that she couldn't identify that made her toes curl.

Mike chuckled. Handing her the bag, he put the blanket down on the sand. Motioning to the blanket he said, "doctor," offering his hand. Ginny grinned, taking it and sitting down. Mike plopped down next to her with a grunt. He took the bag.

"This is the jalapeno cheeseburger you so cruelly abandoned." He said, handing her a takeout container. "And your curly fries." He gave her another. "And grape soda." He gave her a can. "Though why you'd want any is beyond me."

Ginny opened the can, taking a sip. "You saved our lunch?" She said.

Mike scrunched his face. "Well it's cold now."

Ginny opened the container of fries. Satchel trotted over and sat in front of her. She shook her head. "No." He whined. She sighed, opening the container with the cheeseburger. Tearing off some of the meat, she held it out to him. He delicately took it from her fingers. Leia, who'd apparently realized there was food, jumped onto Mike's lap, letting out small high pitched whimpers. Mike rolled his eyes.

"You are the worst." He said, not bothering to hide his grin. Handing her a piece of burger, he winced as she slobbered over his fingers. Ginny laughed as he gingerly wiped his fingers on his pants. "Away with you, you monster." He grumbled. Leia barked and took off towards the water. Satchel turned and went after her.

They sat in silence for a while, eating and watching the dogs.

"I should have been more assertive in sending her away." Mike said. "Truth is, I've never been good at the whole...dating thing."

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Weren't you..." She hesitated. It seemed like a bad idea to bring up his ex wife during their date. Mike seemed to understand her implication.

"Rachel..." He looked at the sand. "Well it wasn't dating so much as an elaborate conquest." He glanced at her. "So I'm going to suck at this, but...I'm going to try."

She nodded. "And I...I might have over reacted." She confessed. "I've had trust issues when it comes to relationships." She tapped her knee. "So we'll both have some trying to do."

Mike nodded. "So..." He nudged her. "We're playing the Giants on Saturday."

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "You mean you're losing against the Giants." Mike coughed.

"Excuse me?" He said.

Ginny rattled off some stats. Mike's expression wavered between being impressed at her knowledge and being annoyed at her lack of faith in the team. "It's not that I don't want you to win." She said, shrugging. "I'm just pointing out that it's unlikely."

Mike nodded thoughtfully. "If we win on Saturday...you have to admit that you like the beard."

"You want me to lie?" She asked.

"I want you to confess." Mike clarified. She tapped her chin.

"If you win on Saturday..." She said slowly. He leaned closer. She pressed her lips to his forehead, delighting in the way his eyes fluttered closed. "I'll give you another one of those."

Mike looked up. "How about now?" He asked, hope and hunger in his eyes they darted to her lips.

There was a howl from the water's edge. Mike groaned, dropping his head on Ginny's shoulder as she looked over at the dogs. Leia, soaked to the bone, ran up to the two of them and jumped between them, covering them with sand and seawater. "Monster." He growled, affectionately.

* * *

A ticket to the Padres vs Giants game magically showed up at the clinic the next day. Ginny noted, with amusement, that it was in the front row just behind homeplate on the side of the Padres bullpen.

Mike made eye contact with her the second batting practice began. Tipping his hat in her direction, he lined up at the plate. Blip Sanders looked over at her and smirked. Mike missed the first couple of hits.

"Come on, Lawson." It took her a second to realize that she was the one who'd spoken. Mike glanced over his shoulder. "That the best you can do? What would Candy and Vanessa think?"

He missed the next ball.

"Oh," She pouted. "That's going to be tough for your legions of adoring fans to take. If they can't focus on your game, they'll have nothing to distract them from the beard."

He mumbled something and though she was too far to hear, she swore it was something to the effect of "you love the beard." She grinned.

"You're disappointing your girl, Lawson." Al said.

"Wouldn't be the first time he's left a woman unsatisfied." Sonny Evers had walked over. A muscle jumped in Mike's jaw as Blip and Sonny fist bumped.

The next ball came and he hit it. And the next and the next. He didn't miss another ball for the rest of batting practice. When All pulled him, he turned and met Ginny's gaze. She was ready to laugh or throw him a sarcastic comment, but the dark hungry look in his eyes stopped her. She shifted, the heat of the day suddenly secondary to the burning beneath her skin. Mike nodded before going to sit with the rest of his team. Ginny shuddered slightly and took her seat.

If batting practice had been bad, it was nothing compared to the first inning. The Padres had the field, which meant Mike was squatting behind home plate...and Ginny had an unobstructed view of his ass. If she hadn't known about his bad knees, she'd have thought he was shifting around deliberately to give her a better view...not that she was exactly complaining. Miller gives up 2 runs before it's the Padres turn up at bat. Blip goes first and manages to get to second. Salvamini gets to first. Then Mike swaggered up to the plate. He glanced over at Ginny, throwing her a wink before turning his focus on the Giants' pitcher. He swung...and missed. Ginny winced.

"Come on, Mike." She murmured, watching as he dug his foot in the ground. The next pitch comes; it's a curveball. Ginny put her hand over her mouth. She knows Mike's game probably as well as he does which is how she knows that a curveball was the pitch he has the hardest time hitting. Which is why it shocked her when he hit it out of the park. There's a shocked moment when Mike just stares at the space where the ball went. The jumbotron shows his face as he cracks a huge smile. There's a roar as the stadium jumps to its feet.

Taking off his helmet and dropping his bat he throws a glance at Ginny. He looks young and excited as though he wanted to make sure she saw. Then he was running the bases. She's on her feet, screaming and cheering as Blip and Salvamini came to home plate. Mike followed, jogging and waving his hat at people. When he made it to home, he tilted his hat in her direction. She grinned.

* * *

There are cameras everywhere in Petco Park. It was unlikely that anyone would have missed the attention Mike showed Ginny. Sure enough, Mike was only 2 minutes into his ice bath when Blip came in, holding his cell phone.

"Mike Lawson's mystery girl." He sat next to his ice bath. Mike arched an eyebrow, shivering.

"Hu uh?" He said.

Blip continued. "Mike Lawson's secret muse." He smirked. "Everyone is losing their minds over the woman many credit with the Padres' surprise win over the Giants."

Mike gaped. "What?"

Blip chuckled. "It's safe to say Mike Lawson hasn't played like this in years."

"YEARS?" Mike looked at his friend in disgust.

"Now people want to know, who is this exotic beauty who's got the Captain of the Padres playing like it's 2007."

"That's racist." Mike grumbled. He glanced over at Blip. "Right?" Blip didn't answer, looking back at his phone.

"There's fan art" He said, holding it up. Mike squinted. There's a picture of someone, that sort of looks like Ginny, smiling at a bearded man in a Padres hat, who he supposes is supposed to be him, who's swinging a bat.

"The game didn't even end an hour ago." He mumbled.

"God bless the internet." Blip laughed.

"Fuck the internet." Mike said. If this screwed up things between him and Ginny he'd find a way to shut the entire thing down.

"It has its uses." Blip stood. "So, got any after game plans?" He asked. There's a buzzing noise. He looked back down at his phone. His eyebrows went up.

"What." Mike demanded.

"Um." Blip said. "Mike..."

Mike grabbed the phone out of his hand. It was a news alert. The article was about his performance at the game. It started out praising Mike, which was fitting. It wasn't until he got to the bottom of the article he clenched his fists. "It's good that Lawson's performance has gone up because he might soon need to fight for his job..." He grit his teeth. "Seeing as the Padres have just signed Livan Duarte." His stomach sank. He'd known he was at the end of his career, but it hurt him to think he was so easily replaced. That the front office would throw him away before he was done...

Numbly he felt the phone being taken away from him. Blip put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen-"

"Whatever." He growled, jerking away from him and looking away from him. Blip sighed, but knew better than to push. He left Mike to shiver alone in the tub.

* * *

Ginny got to the dog park early the next morning. She'd seen the news and knew that Mike must be upset. He hadn't responded to any of her texts. He showed up with Leia at the usual time. The two dogs ran off to play while Mike sat heavily on the bench next to her. His eyes were bloodshot and his shirt was wrinkled as though he'd slept in it. Ginny held out the bag, holding the muffins she'd bought. Mike grimaced.

"Ginny Baker sharing food?" He remarked, taking the bag. "Hell must be frozen over."

"I heard." She said. Mike grunted.

"No you haven't." He said. "Not all of it, at least." He drummed his fingers on his thigh. "The front office decided to pull me from the All Star line up. Some BS about me being too valuable to risk." His eyes grew distant. "I get the feeling I'm going to be hearing that more and more."

Ginny turned so she was facing him. "Well, if its a career change you need." She said slowly. "You can always be greeter at my clinic."

Mike arched an eyebrow. His face was inscrutable, but there was a subtle twinkle in his eye that spurred her to keep going.

"Picture it. Walking up to the clinic to have The Mike Lawson open the door and let in cats and dogs." He was fighting back a laugh, she can tell.

"You saying you'd use me to be nothing more than a glorified bellhop?" He asked, smirking. "I don't know how I feel about that."

"Well, I'm sure it would make the dogs feel better. Especially those that are about to get fixed."

That gets a smile. "Oh, great." He put his arm around the back of the bench where she was sitting and shifted so he was facing her. "You'd make me the poster boy for dogs with no balls?"

"There's a joke I could make here, but it's too easy." Ginny retorted. She didn't lean into his arm. She just casually pressed her cheek against his lower bicep. His skin was warm, comfortable and she was enveloped by the same smell that had been in the jacket he'd lent her the other day. Her eyes closed. When she opened them again, Mike's face was a lot closer then it had been.

"I seem to remember a deal we'd made..." His nose brushed against hers. "Before the game."

"Uh huh." She replied, all witty retorts gone out of her head. After all, how could she be expected to focus when Mike was mere centimeters away from her. She closed the distance between them. Mike's lips were slightly chapped and he tasted like spearmint gum, coffee, and something that might be avocado toast. His beard tickled her chin and upper lip, but it's not unpleasant. If anything it's part of the reason she grips her fingers in his shirt. He wraps his arm around her, pulling her onto him so he has more leverage.

There was a clicking noise. Ginny pulled away abruptly, her eyes growing wide as she caught someone with a camera, pointed right at them. The blood drained from her face and she felt herself push Mike away. He groaned, his arms around her tightening slightly before he let her go. He stood, planning on going after the person who interrupted them, but the person had already raced out of the park.

"I can-" Ginny was about to give chase when Mike grabbed her wrist. She looked back at him. "I could have caught him."

"It'll only make things worse." He said. "I'm sorry, I should have known better." He looked embarrassed, angry.

She swallowed. "I um..." She backed away, realizing something. "I have work." Mike frowned.

"It's sunday."

"Yeah, it was a last minute thing..." She whistled for Satchel. "I have to go, I'll...I'll call you later." She fled, her pulse pounding in her ears as she got into her car. Mike was a public figure, she'd known that. The problem wasn't that she'd be in pictures, it was the pictures she was already in...the ones on Trevor's phone. She shivered as a wave of panic seized her. Part of her wanted to go back and tell Mike, but she squashed it down. There was no need to tell him about something that was probably not going to be an issue. She'd panicked for nothing. Satchel whined.

"It's going to be okay." She told herself. Maybe if she repeated it, it would be true. "It's going to be okay."

* * *

Ginny's phone rang as she answered the door. Smiling at the deliveryman from the local Mexican restaurant, she grabbed the bag. Answering without looking, she forced herself to say a saccharine, "Dr. Baker."

"You've made a habit of running away from me." Mike's voice sounded amused, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness. "A guy could get self esteem problems."

Ginny smirked. "Because you can't keep up with me?" She asked. Mike grunted.

"You busy?" He asked.

"Just about to eat dinner." She said, smiling down at Satchel who was sniffing the bag of tacos. "You?"

"Getting ready to not play in the Allstar game." He said. There was a pause. "Was it something I did?"

"No." She said quickly. "Today was..." She drummed her fingers on the counter. "Today was great, I just..." She wasn't sure how to explain.

"I get it." Mike said. "And I'll try harder to make sure you don't have your picture all over every gossip blog and fan site."

Ginny bit her lip, Mike's sincerity was such a contrast to Trevor. Ever since the pictures hit the internet, he'd begun texting and calling her. "Thanks." She said.

"So what's for dinner?" Mike asked. Ginny snorted.

"Seriously?"

"Hey, I'm on a strict diet for the rest of the season. Let me live through you."

She sighed, opening the delivery bag. "Tacos." She said. "Rice and Beans and-"

"No." Mike said. "I need details in order for this to work."

"And what is this?" Ginny asked, opening the containers. "Auditory food porn?"

"Only if you want it to be." Mike said. "Start talking Baker, I'm staring down a minimum of 3 more months of egg whites and protein shakes. I need this."

Ginny bit back a smile. "Beef tacos." She said. "With pico de gallo, cheese and green salsa."

"Better." Mike said. "Any green onions?"

"No."

"Cilantro?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Hell No." She growled. Mike laughed.

"Don't like cilantro?"

"It's the most disgusting herb ever to stick its head out of the dirt." She growled. "It tastes like soap, except it doesn't have the decency to smell good, so it's worse." She could hear him suppressing his laughter. "You wanted details old man? You got them. Strap in, I have opinions on this."

* * *

When Mike walked into Petco the next day, he was beaming from ear to ear. Sure, Ginny had talked his ear off for about an hour describing the 101 evils of cilantro...only to take a bite of her taco to discover that it did in fact contain cilantro which had set off another 30 minute tirade. He'd laughed so hard, he'd fallen off his couch and Leia had run up to him, howling bloody murder because she thought he'd been injured. He hadn't had that much fun just listening to some one in ages. Ginny might be young, but she was sharp, opinionated and could go toe to toe with him. Some times he was actually sure that she was letting him think he was winning. It had been 3 am when they finally fallen asleep. Well she had. He'd shamelessly listened to her breathing for a good 15 minutes before he'd hung up.

It was a good day. He'd changed into his practice clothes, going towards the field to run hitters with the pitchers when he heard it. There was a cry of pain from the field. Ignoring the twinge in his knee, he booked it to the field, coming outside just as Sonny was being helped to his feet, clutching his arm.

"What happened?" He demanded. Blip glanced guiltily at Sonny before murmuring. "It doesn't look good, Mike."

"Bull." Mike panicked, looking at Sonny. "Evers just needs to walk it off."

Salvamini shook his head as Sonny turned his face to Mike. There were unshed tears shining in his eyes. Shit, that was bad. Sonny was one of the toughest guys he knew.

He was called into Al's office later that day. Al's expression was grave. Buck, who was sitting on the couch looked even worse and Oscar...well Oscar being there at all spelled bad news.

"You're calling up Duarte, aren't you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny fidgeted in her seat, trying to focus on what the keynotes speaker was saying. This was the most important veterinary conference in the county and yet all she could think about was the All Star Game. Granted, Mike wouldn't be playing in it, but he'd still decided to be there to support Blip before going to an interview with Fox Sports. He'd been nervous, calling non stop the previous day to practice his "broadcaster voice."

It was criminal that ever since they'd begun trying to build a serious relationship work had kept them apart. She was stuck in Colorado for another day. The second she was going back to San Diego, the Padres were going to LA to play the Dodgers, then they were going to New York to Play the Yankees. Mike had groused about that one, even though he'd promised to bring her back authentic New York pizza, which she'd never tried. She checked her phone. No updates, which was strange. She bit her lip, glancing around. No one seemed to be paying attention to her distraction. Some people were actually asleep. She settled down in her chair. Only 20 more minutes until the talk was over and she could walk, not run, to her hotel room in time to watch Mike do the recap.

The broadcasting job had become more important to him ever since Sonny Evers had been injured and management had told him they were planning on bringing up Duarte. She'd watched footage of the young catcher and while she'd never admit it in front of Mike, he was good, if a little over confident.

The 20 minutes were torturous, but finally she was out, dodging the creepy advances of some of the male attendees of the conference to make it back to her hotel room. She turned on the TV and flopped on the bed. The game had just finished and they were running a few replays before the recap. She picked up her phone and sent Mike a quick "break a leg" text. Mike sent her back a bearded face emoji. She smirked, settling in to watch the recap.

* * *

To say Mike's first crack at broadcasting was a disaster was a severe understatement. Mike had been awkward. He'd rambled, he'd either stared too long at the camera or not looked at it enough. He'd been stiff, he'd been too relaxed. In short he'd somehow managed to do everything he wasn't supposed to do and then some.

He walked into his house, going straight to the fridge for a beer. Leia bounded at his heels. Seeming to sense his bad mood, she threw herself on the ground in front of him, her paws waving in the air, obviously trying to entice him to give her a belly rub.

He shook his head. "At least you can't understand TV." He muttered, picking her up and carrying her to the couch. Loosening his tie, he collapsed. Leia settled in on his stomach. "Well, guess I better get a Netflix, seeing as all I'll be doing in the forseeable future is growing fat on the couch." He frowned as Leia put her paws on his chest and breathed in his face. "And I'm talking to a dog...though Ginny tell me it's good for your self esteem. I bet she talks to Satchel all the time."

At the mention of Ginny's name, Leia began wiggling. When he said Satchel, she let out a bark of happiness.

"We don't need to talk, right princess?" He scratched behind her ears. "You and I are the strong silent type." Leia whined and nudged his hand. "Yeah." He mumbled. "I want to talk to her too."

In fact, he realized as he reached for his phone. It was the only thing that he could see making him feel better.

She answered on the 3rd ring. "Lawson."

"How's the convocation of the nerds?" He asked.

She scoffed. "I hate to break it to you, but sitting in a suit and spouting out stats on TV makes you a nerd."

"Ah." Mike said. "Explains why I was so bad at it."

Ginny laughed. "So you need a bit of practice."

Mike groaned. "Don't sugarcoat it, I was terrible." He sighed.

"Well my offer for clinic greeter still stands."

He snorted.

"Mike, you're not done." She paused. "I know it sounds clique, but I also know that you're driven, stubborn, and talented as hell. If it was anyone else I'd say they were down for the count, but not you. You're Mike freakin' Lawson and sure, Duarte's young, attractive, fresh, new-"

"You can stop." Mike growled.

"He's also kind of dreamy." Ginny continued, teasing. "You can see his chin and jaw...general lower half of the face. It's mind boggling."

The beard joke worked, couldn't bring himself to be pissed when he knew how she'd eagerly responded as it brushed her lips. He shook his head. "There a point to this?"

"Mike, you have something he doesn't; experience. He might be a hot shot, but talent alone doesn't make you a ball player." She hummed. "We haven't seen the last of you yet, Lawson."

"Al's talking about moving me up to first for the LA game." He mumbled.

Ginny snorted. "That's a terrible idea."

"I know, right...wait." His eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?"

"Evelyn and I are apparently now best friends." Ginny admitted. Mike pinched the bridge of his nose. On his stomach, Leia moved up, pressing her ear against his arm, presumably to hear Ginny's voice better. He smirked. Talk about desperation.

"And what, pray tell, did Evelyn tell you?"

"Just something that happened during spring training when they tried you out on first."

Mike was going to kill Blip.

"It must have been sooooo embarrassing."

"Keep talking, Baker." Mike snapped. "All I'm hearing is that you're looking for insider intel...could you like me?"

"Oh please, Evelyn's practically begging to tell me things about you." Ginny said.

"She's like the sister I never had." Mike quipped, aware of how true the statement was. Blip and Ev were the closest thing to a family he'd ever had. The fact that they seemed to have taken so quickly to Ginny was reassuring. They'd never been so close to...to Rachel.

"You still there, old man?"

Mike nodded, then shook himself; she couldn't see him. "Yeah." He said. "Just thinking."

"Don't hurt yourself."

He snorted. "About the future." He heard her suck in a breath. He pressed on. "There's going to be changes soon. I guess...this whole Duarte thing has me feeling my age."

"Yeah." Ginny drawled. "36 is the new 99. We might as well take you out back and put you out of your misery like old yeller."

"You sound way too enthusiastic about that idea, Baker." Mike said. A silence stretched. "It's just...I thought I'd have a little more time."

"But you do." She said. "You don't have to rush this whole post career thing."

Mike's stomach swooped as he realized she was right. When he'd been with Rachel, there'd always been the assumption that they'd start a family and he'd have that to look forward to. Then when he'd found out about her affair, it was as though the rug had been pulled out from under him. He'd been cut adrift; no safety net, nothing to look forward to. He only had baseball and that was fading fast. Then he came to another realization. For the first time in possibly ever, he'd had an earnest conversation about his future, not what he thought anews anchor or his agent or Rachel wanted to hear, but about his thoughts...and it hadn't been terrifying. Hell, he was ready to keep talking about it.

"You still breathing old man?" She asked. Mike grinned.

"Yeah, it's just..." He wasn't sure how to express the sheer contentment he felt simply talking to her on the phone. "You kinda blow me away."

"Um..." She sounded slightly dazed.

"I totally just made your day. Seeing as you had that huge poster of me on your wall." Mike said. Ginny let out an annoyed breath. Mike settled in as she got defensive.

"It's adorable that you've convinced yourself of this." She said.

"I'm adorable?" He said.

"I'm being gentle towards the delusional." She said.

"Keep talking, and I won't share my...experience with you."

"It's just as well, I don't think Candy would be too happy about that."

Mike winced, dropping his head heavily on the bed. "I wish you were here in San Diego." He mumbled. Ginny hummed.

"I do too. I miss Satchel." She paused. "He's staying with Eliot while I'm gone."

"Miss anyone else?" Mike asked.

"Mmm." Ginny feigned thoughtfulness. Mike could practically see her lips pressing themselves together and the small crease that formed in between her brows. He shifted on the couch, Leia huffed and hopped off his chest. "I miss the beach." She said.

"And."

"Andre."

"Andre?" He growled, jealousy seizing his gut. "Who's Andre?"

"The love of my life." Ginny said. Mike saw red and clenched his phone "At least that what I tell him when he delivers my food." The tension left his muscles.

"I hate him already." Mike mumbled. Ginny laughed. It was full, unfiltered and slightly horsey. He could listen to it forever.

"I miss Leia." She said, a peace offering. Mike smirked, looking at the small ball of fur on the ground. "Naturally."

"And..." She yawned. "I guess I wouldn't mind seeing you, old man."

Mike's heart skipped a beat. He felt lightheaded and giddy. "I wouldn't mind seeing you too." He said. Another silence. It was warm, comfortable. There was no pressure to say anything. He could just sit there and listen to her breathe.

"A farm." He said after about 3 minutes of silence.

"Mmm?" Ginny's sleepy rumble warmed him and he wondered what it would be like to have her next to him, curling around him and falling asleep. He wondered if she liked to cuddle.

"I think I'll get a farm and rescue animals. Like Jon Stewart."

"He did grow a beard." Ginny mumbled. "So you're already ahead of him."

"I'll need a vet," He sighed. "Know any good ones?"

There was a soft snuffling noise on her side. She was sleeping. Mike settled himself, the phone cradled to his ear.

"Good night, Ginny." He whispered.

* * *

Mike was in LA when she got back, prepping for a game with the Dodgers. The internet had found other things to focus on besides Mike's love life and probably presumed she was nothing more than a meaningless fling, so there had been no more camera men in park bushes.

Every night they'd talk on the phone. Some conversations were funny. Mike grumbled about Blip saying he was being Wally Piped and when she asked who Wally Pip was, he'd forced her to watch a Ken Burns documentary, providing over the phone commentary. ("You grumpy they didn't ask you to contribute old man?" "...No."). Others were serious...

"Same time tomorrow?" Mike asked, jokingly. They both knew that neither of them were hanging up until one of them fell asleep.

"My mom's coming tomorrow." She mumbled, glaring at her computer screen where the email had just popped up.

"Does she...know about me?" He asked.

"Hard to say. She avoids baseball news of any kind like the plague." Ginny mumbled.

"But you haven't mentioned me." He sounded hurt.

"I just found out she's visiting because she sent me an email." Ginny scratched Satchel behind the ears. "We don't really have the type of mother daughter relationship that inspires me to call her up and talk about boys."

"Boys?" Mike asked.

"Annoying bearded ones who won't shut up when I'm watching a documentary." Ginny shut her laptop. "Though I'm sure she'd be overjoyed that I'm interested in some one, even if you are a baseball player."

There was a pause. Ginny frowned at the phone. "Your hearing aid go out old man?"

"No." Mike's voice sounded slightly wobbly. "If you don't mind me asking..."

"It..." Ginny usually never talked about her family with anyone. But the panic at being judged or the embarrassment and pain she usually associated with discussions of her childhood, just weren't there. "When I was 13 I started to have doubts about my dedication to baseball. My dad...didn't want me doing things like other girls. I had no friends. I wasn't invited to sleepovers or dances. When I decided I wanted to go to the spring formal...he said I needed to choose. That I couldn't do baseball and go to the party. It was the glove or the dress."

She heard Mike hiss slightly, she spurred on, emboldened. "I was about to chose the dress. When...I saw my mom kissing someone who wasn't my dad." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to banish old memories. "I ran and almost choose baseball to punish her...then I realized that the reason she'd turned to him was that my dad had been too wrapped up in trying to train me, that he'd neglected her."

Silence stretched between them. "Ginny." Mike's voice sounded pained. "You're not responsible for your parents' mistakes."

"I know that now." She mumbled. "I was 13." She sighed. "So I thought if I didn't have baseball, that it would fix what was wrong with them. I picked up the dress. Threw myself into my school work. My parents got worse. There was shouting and..." She closed her eyes. Bill Baker had never forgiven Janet for taking his daugther, and therefore his dreams of raising an MLB player, away from him. The tense, angry resentment that flared up at the slightest mistep had hospitalized her with ulcers by the time she was 15. "It turns out I was really smart." She bit her lip. "School was the only way out. So I took extra classes at the local community college and got a full ride to UC San Diego. I left and never looked back." She took a sharp breath. She hadn't noticed she'd been crying, but the tears and shakiness of her breath were there. Mike didn't say anything, waiting.

"Sorry." She murmured, shame flooding her as Mike didn't say anything.

"For what?" He sounded surprised, as though her apology was ridiculous.

"Freaking out?" She offered.

Mike grunted. "You've been helping me through my midlife crisis." He paused. "Don't apologize for opening up to someone."

"Not everyone wants to listen." Ginny mumbled.

"I do." Mike's voice was slightly muffled.

Ginny swallowed. "She was going to leave him, eventually." She continued. "But...he was killed. The day I graduated college. Drunk driver."

Another silence stretched. Mike sighed. "God, I wish I was with you right now."

Ginny curled around a pillow, wondering how it would feel to have him hold her. Somehow, she just knew Mike was thinking the same thing.

"I kinda wish you were here too."

"Kinda?" Mike sounded outraged.

"I could use the buffer."

"Buffer." Mike scoffed. "Is this a beard joke?"

"Only if you want it to be." She grinned.

"I'll have you know moms love me." Mike snapped.

"Why, do you start with the 'oh, is this your sister?' line." Ginny threw back. This time Mike's pause was slightly guilty.

"...No?"

"That's a yes."

"Well, it's a no in the same way you say no when asked about my poster or the beard." Mike shot back.

"Why is this poster so important to you?" Ginny asked, amused by his ridiculous fixation.

"I kinda like the idea of you being crazy for me." He sounded like he was laughing.

"Please, as if you aren't crazy for me."

"Absolutely." The sincerity in the way he says it made her stomach flutter.

She paused, suddenly unsure how to proceed. It hit her that in the span of barely 3 months, Mike had become the most important person in her life. It terrified her and yet...it didn't feel wrong.

"I'm crazy about you, old man." She admitted.

"Because of the beard." Mike prompted.

"In spite of the beard." She corrected.

"Liar."

She could hear the smile in his voice and imagined the crinkle around his eyes.

"I took Satchel to see Leia today." She said. "The twins dressed her and Yo-Yo in cute little outfits." The memory of the Sanders' yorkie in a cowboy hat and bandanna was too cute.

Mike let out a growl. "Did Ev stop them?"

"Hell no, she was taking pictures." Ginny smirked. "Leia didn't mind. Especially not the boa."

"This is dog abuse."

"We literally had to drag your dog away from the costume box, old man." Ginny shook her head. "She's a diva."

"...there's a box." Mike said slowly.

"Did you not..." She paused. Poor Blip; what had she done. "Did you not know?"

Mike chuckled. "Let's say this is definitely going to make up for the time that Blip thought it would be funny to draw on my face when I was sleeping."

"Where did he even find the space?" Ginny mused.

* * *

Mike was the first to fall asleep that night. He was up, bright and early the next day, rearing to go and beat the Dodgers. Sure, they were moving him to first base, but that day nothing could ruin his good mood. Not Livan swaggering around the clubhouse like he owned the place, not the flickers of pain in his knees and lower back, not Rachel walking in with the rest of the press...He did a double take. Rachel gave him a small apologetic smile before going to interview Livan. Mike watched, as the younger catcher brushed off the reporters by pretending not to speak English. Rachel walked over.

"Hi." She said. He nodded, leaning down to straighten his cleats. "He does speak English, right?"

"Padres secret." Mike said, pressing his back into his chair and looking up at her. "How are you, Rachel?"

She glanced around the clubhouse. Mike frowned; she was nervous about something.

"I'm...I'm good." She cleared her throat. "Um, I got this letter from the pet insurance place about Leia getting a microchip?"

Mike arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, I took her to...this vet in San Diego." It felt strange referring to Ginny in that way, but it couldn't be helped. He didn't feel comfortable bringing mentioning Ginny to Rachel. Somehow he wanted to keep that part of his past away from...his future? "I paid for it, don't worry."

"I know." Rachel tapped her foot. "I just...I didn't want her to get a microchip."

"Well considering the fact that when I took her to Dr. Baker's office she was underweight, I'm not putting too much stock in what you want." Mike snapped. Rachel looked surprised. "Plus Dr. Baker's got an actual veterinary degree so I'd take that over some article you read on an antivaxer blog."

"I took care of that dog while you were too busy playing baseball." She said. "Or are you seriously telling me you brought her with you."

"No I didn't." Mike said. "But she's with Evelyn and Dr. Baker checked on her yesterday."

Rachel was examining him. "And what did he say?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"Dr. Baker." She said. "When he checked Leia yesterday."

Mike silently cursed. Meeting Rachel's eyes, he fought to keep his face expressionless. "Get with the 21st century, Rachel. Dr. Baker's a woman."

Rachel's shocked look changed to one of disappointment. "Ah."

"What?" Mike said, getting up.

"Well your sudden interest in veterinary science makes sense."

"It's not like that, Rachel." Mike growled, suddenly aware that the rest of the clubhouse had gone silent. Standing, he walked out of the main area. Rachel followed. Mike turned, crossing his arms.

"How is it?" Rachel said.

"What it is..." Mike said. "Is none of your business."

Rachel tilted her head. "You really like her."

"Rachel-"

"I know you, Mike."

He flinched, unsure why her words were having such a negative effect on him. She shook her head. "Whoever this girl is, I hope she can deal with coming second to baseball."

Mike ducked his head. "Look, I know-"

"You don't like having, Mike." Rachel said. "You love chasing and right now she's new, exciting. You're probably getting a rush from it." She looked at him with pity, her lips parted slightly and her brows pulled together. "She's going to learn that soon enough."

"You don't know, Ginny." He said, even as doubt began to grip his gut. How many times had Ginny run from him when something happened that she didn't like? What if he screwed up and she didn't want to give him another chance?

"But you do?" Rachel scoffed. "Not even three months ago you were asking me to take you back."

Mike frowned. Why was she doing this? What did she get from him being unhappy? "Ginny hates cilantro. She loves grape soda and can eat any amount of greasy junkfood you put in front of her. She can't dance, though it doesn't stop her from moving like no one's watching and I mean no one. She hums off key when she's distracted, mostly crappy pop songs, but they make her happy. She loves baseball and her dog's named Satchel. She's opinionated, brilliant and compassionate. Life dealt her a pretty shitty deck of cards, yet she somehow doesn't let it stop her from caring and giving her heart to people. She trusts me. She..." He stopped. Ginny's sharing her past with him was such a contrast to the woman who'd outright refused to share a park bench with him merely there months ago. "She loves me." Rachel's expression was pinched, like she was trying desperately not to cry. Mike stepped back. He couldn't stop the smile that broke over his face. "If you don't mind." He said, "I need to call my girlfriend before I kick the Dodgers' asses."

He'd taken three steps into the clubhouse. The press had left and it was silent, everyone was trying really hard not to look at him.

"Women, right?" Mike said. Everyone was looking at their phones. Mike frowned, his gut told him that it was more than his confrontation with Rachel.

"Women is right." Livan swaggered up to him, looking intently at his phone screen. Blip got up.

"Man, you don't want to-"

Livan whistled. "I'll say this, you sure know how to pick them."

"The fuck are you talking about, Duarte?"

Livan held out his phone.

"Mike, don't." Blip said, but Mike ignored him, snatching the phone. His mouth went dry as he looked at the images. Brown skin, white sheets, burn curls. He felt the air leave his lungs. He dropped the phone, his ears ringing. But Livan wasn't done.

"They say those are from Trevor Davis' phone."

"Shut up, Duarte." Blip said. They sounded far away. Mike couldn't move, he couldn't breathe.

"Must like catchers." Livan rolled his shoulders. Mike saw red.

.

* * *

The second Janet Baker had gotten into Ginny's car she'd insisted that they go to the grocery store because she'd guessed that Ginny didn't have any real food. They'd barely made it back to the house in time for the game.

"I don't understand what was so urgent about this game." Janet said. "Or are you seriously telling me you haven't gotten over that crush you had on Matt Lawson."

"Mike Lawson." Ginny corrected. Janet Baker threw a small smirk over her shoulder.

"Believe me honey, I know." She shook her head. "What I had to do to convince your father to let you have that poster." she sighed. Ginny ducked her head.

"Can we not talk about Pop?" she asked, turning the volume up on the TV.

"It seems there's trouble in the Padres' dugout, though that's no surprise. We always expected friction between team captain Mike Lawson and rookie catcher Livan Duarte, but it looks like Duarte and Lawson are being kept deliberately apart and Duarte's got a black eye."

Ginny's jaw dropped.

"Well, speak of the devil." Janet remarked. "Ginny bean, help me with these groceries." Ginny couldn't move, she was watching thw image of the bullpen. Mike and Duarte were sitting on opposite sides. Duarte was shooting smug looks at Mike, even if he couldnt completely open one of his eyes. Mike was immobile, looking at the dirt in front of him. What would have possessed him to take a swing at Duarte?

"Ginny." her mother said, pulling her attention away from the screen. "Your phone" The camera wasn't on the Padres anyway. Stealing one last glance a the tv she picked up. Maybe he was calling.

"Mike."

The person on the other side of the line took a hard breath. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Trevor." She growled. She should have checked her caller id. "I'm going to need you to stop calling-"

"The pictures were leaked." Trevor cut her off. Ginny's eyes widened.

"What?" She whispered, feeling her chest tighten. Behind her, her mother was looking at her curiously.

"They leaked the pictures, Ginny. You dating Mike Lawson made you more-" She hung up, unable to breathe. Sitting heavily on the ground, she looked at the phone in her hands.

"Ginny!" Her mother shouted. She ignored her, clicking on the browser app and typed in Mike Lawson.

Davis and Lawson. Same Girl? was the first and only headline she saw...along with a glimpse of one of her pictures before her eyes sight blurred. She shut the phone, throwing it across the room. Everything around her seemed to be spinning. The air suddenly too thick to breathe. She felt used, violated, helpless. Satchel sat next to her, dropping his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his fur trying to ground herself.


	4. Chapter 4

The Padres lost.

Normally this would have upset him, but with the circumstances...he didn't know what was up and what was down. He was about to go face the press when Al pulled him aside. "Oscar wants to talk to yah, Mike." Mike frowned.

"What's he doing in LA?" He asked.

"He wanted to be here when Livan played his first game."

Mike winced. He knew he should have kept his cool, but damn did Livan wind him up. And Ginny...he looked down at his phone. She'd called. His mouth went dry. He waved his thumb over the call back button, ready to press, but before he could-

"Mike." Al said.

"I just need to..."

"Mike." Al growled, pointing over his shoulder. Oscar was waiting for him.

Mike let out a frustrated huff, stowing the phone in his pocket.

"I cancelled your press event, Mike." Oscar said. Mike nodded, relieved. He had no idea what to say to them and didn't feel like answering in his current emotional state would be his best option. "Let's have a conversation."

"About?" He didn't like the affable smile Oscar was wearing. It was too polished. He'd been on the team long enough to recognize Oscar's "let them down easy" expression.

"Your future at the Padres."

In the back of his mind he heard Ginny's voice telling him a joke about Old Yellar. At the time it had been funny but now...especially since he no longer knew where he stood with Ginny. His entire world was crashing around his ears. And things had just started to look so good.

"What do you mean, future?" He growled. Oscar looked pained.

"Not here." He said, "I had dinner reservations planned."

"No." Mike snapped. "You're trying to sugar coat something. You want to tell me something serious, you tell me. Don't try and schmooze me before dropping a bomb on me."

Oscar sighed. "The front office is worried about...how you gel with Livan."

Mike ground his teeth.

"They're not happy with what happened in the clubhouse today."

"Well if Duarte knew when to keep his mouth shut-" Mike began. Oscar shot him a look. Mike sighed, his shoulders slumping. Oscar nodded and continued.

"I can't imagine what you're feeling right now. Which is why...if you're unhappy..."

Mike's eyes widened. "You're trying to trade me."

"No." Oscar said. "If I had it my way we'd keep you forever, but the front office..."

Mike scoffed. Oscar liked to act like he was separate from the front office. As if because he didn't have final say in certain decisions he was somehow different from them. Oscar's eyes narrowed.

"I know I don't have to tell you that Chicago is interested in signing you."

Mike glanced at the ground, his agent had mentioned it. He grit his teeth.

"They look like they could go all the way." Oscar continued. "Could retire with that ring."

"We're still in this." Mike said, but he knew it was an empty hope. The Yankees were probably going to wipe the floor with them the next game and with the team's sorry performance against the Giants...there was no hope. He felt old. Really old. His knees hurt and his head was pounding. There was nothing more he wanted than to call Ginny and...he looked away. Ginny.

Oscar gave him a pained nod. Patting him on the shoulder, he said. "Think about it."

Mike went back to his locker. His knees were killing him. He checked his phone. If he skipped the press he could add an ice bath. He changed and walked into the training room, only to turn to walk back out.

"Lawson." Livan called after him.

"No." He growled. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Spinning around, he clenched his fist, shrugging off Livan's hand. He glared at him. He couldn't punch him again, he shouldn't punch him again. He wasn't the type of person who resorted to that type of behavior, hell, he was usually the one holding people back from fighting. "Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it."

"I'm sorry." Livan said softly. Mike blinked. He definitely hadn't been expecting that. "My...my girlfriend is still in Cuba and if I ever saw pictures of her on another man's phone-"

"Davis is her ex." Mike growled.

Livan gave him a sad look. Mike crossed his arms. Livan didn't know Ginny. She wasn't cheating on him. Though cheating would imply that they were officially dating and they'd never really said they were dating because...he'd never thought they'd had to. Doubts and fears that had been lying in the back of his mind ever since he'd found out Rachel had been cheating rushed forward. Ginny was beautiful, young. She had her whole life ahead of her. What did he have to offer her?

Livan nodded, correctly reading the expression on his face. "So, that's all I wanted to say..." he wrinkled his nose. "And this stays between us. I don't want people to think I like you or anything."

"Right." Mike mumbled. "We wouldn't that." He flinched as Livan patted him on the shoulder on his way out. He pulled off his shorts and sweater before sinking into the tub.

* * *

Ginny was watching the TV in a state of shock. It had been 7 hours since the pictures had leaked. 7 hours and all any of the sports channels, entertainment channels and for some reason the home shopping channel could talk about was her. Blurred images of her body were on display for the whole world to see. She covered her mouth, watching in horror as they analyzed Trevor's game for what they were now calling "the Baker bump." Apparently since Mike had gotten better since meeting her, they suspected that she'd had the affect on Trevor's game.

"What is wrong with them?" She glared. "Do they think my vagina has magical baseball properties?" She clutched a pillow and winced as they brought up the pictures again. "Why aren't they showing Trevor's pictures, huh?" She growled. "The ones he sent me? They were way worse then mine."

Janet was sitting next to her, her lips pressed together in a line. Ginny glanced over and a jolt of fear ran through her. She knew that look. That was the "I've been hurt by Ginny" look. Her mother was about to manipulate her into feeling guilty; turn her pain into a personal slight against Janet.

"You're dating Mike Lawson." She said softly.

"Mom." Ginny said.

"How long?" Janet's voice rumbled.

Ginny looked at her hands, feeling like she was a child again. "We met...about 3 and a half months ago." She murmured. "He brought his dog to the clinic." She picked at the pillow next to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Janet said.

Ginny huffed. "Maybe because I figured that you'd look at me like that."

"Like what, Genevieve?"

Ginny flinched. "Like you're disappointed in me."

"You're sleeping with a man who's almost twice your age."

"Mike and I are not sleeping together." She said. "Not...yet and after this maybe not ever. He probably hates me now." She frowned. "And he's not that much older than me."

"He was married, Ginny." Janet said. "And while you might be too star struck to realize it, but even in North Carolina we've heard how much of..." She frowned, waving her hand, "of a philanderer he is."

"Mom." Ginny said, a warning in her voice. Was she seriously going to judge Mike's character?

"He's using you because you're young and pretty." Janet said. "And this other boy, Trevor Davis? How could you send pictures like that, I taught you to be smarter than that."

"Mom." Ginny grit her teeth.

"You're smart and beautiful. You're worth more than to be a notch on some ballplayer's bedpost." She frowned. "Or two of them, apparently."

"That's ENOUGH." Ginny stood, glaring at her mother. "There is nothing wrong with having taken those pictures. The problem is that someone invaded my privacy. The problem is that everyone and their grandmother seems to think they have a right to judge me or decide what's going on in my relationship." Her mother still had that look on her face. It made Ginny's blood boil. She didn't know her. She'd never tried to know her. She'd tried to force her to be her perfect daughter, even at the price of her happiness. "I am not just a notch on Mike's bed post. He makes me laugh, he's... silly, stubborn and sometimes he makes me want to tear my hair out, but he's also kind and considerate and generous. He's not Pop and I'm not you."

Janet glared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That I gave up baseball for you." Ginny shouted. "I saw you...with him."

Her mother jerked back as though Ginny had hit her.

"I thought that I could make you happy if I...put on dresses and backed away from baseball. That maybe I could fix you and dad, but..." She felt hot tears falling from her eyes. "Mike makes me happy, mom. We don't expect each other to change, we make room for each other. I..." She glared. "I'm not going to sit here and be lectured on improper behavior when I know for a fact that you were with him the night Pop died." She spat, whirling around and leaving her mother staring at her stunned. She slammed the door, collapsing on her bed and crying.

She reached for her phone, ready to call Mike. She needed to talk to him, to make sure everything was okay. Mostly she just needed to hear his voice.

Her heart sank as she realized her phone was outside. She couldn't bring herself to face her mother. Satchel jumped on the bed and she clutched him to her, shuddering in anger, pain, and exhaustion.

* * *

Mike was exhausted. The flight, the conversation with Oscar, the self doubt he felt about his relationship with Ginny. It was too much. They guys were out, running wild in New York City. He didn't go with them. The pain in his legs and back was bone deep. He walked into the hotel room, dropping his bag.

Pulling off his shirt and pants, he collapsed on the bed, silently thanking the front office for springing for a fancy hotel with tempurpedic mattresses as he felt himself sinking into the plush, cushiony bed. He turned on his phone. Ginny hadn't called back since the first time. He hung his head. She probably thought he was mad at her. He wasn't sure how he felt. He was definitely angry, but more at the person who'd thought it would be okay to put nude pictures of his Ginny on the internet. He was mad at Duarte for being younger, more talented. He was mad at Trevor Davis for being with her first and having those pictures. Mad at himself because he'd looked.

His finger hovered over the call button. It was almost 3 am here...it meant that it was 12 in San Diego. Finally he pressed call.

His heart hammered in his chest as it rang. What if she didn't answer? What if-

"Hello." The voice sounded cold, distant... It wasn't Ginny.

"Who is this?"

"Janet Baker." The woman replied. He sat up. Ginny had mentioned her mom was coming to visit, but in the confusion, he'd forgotten.

"Mrs. Baker, I'm Mike-"

"I know who you are." She cut him off. Ginny often interrupted him, but...it was never like this. Janet sounded furious. "I know you think you care about my daughter and lord knows why, she seems to care about you." Relief flooded through Mike. Now if he could just get her to the phone.

"Can I talk to her?" He begged.

"No." Janet said. "Do you know what they're saying about my Ginny, Mr. Lawson? They're calling her a whore. They're interviewing people who've never her. Her business is getting negative reviews on yelp from people who've never even been to her clinic. Her picture is all over the internet and the TV. She's locked in her room right now, crying. This would never have happened if she hadn't met you."

Mike gripped his phone. "I need to talk to her." He was begging, he knew it, but he was so desperate. "Please." He whispered.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Mrs. Baker-"

"I am trying to protect my daughter, Mr. Lawson." Janet said. "She's my baby girl and I almost lost her once. I'm not going to let being near you hurt her more than it already has. I'm not going to let you play with her emotions until decide you've had your fill, gotten bored with her and cast her off."

Mike frowned. "That's not what this is."

"Don't call her again, Mr. Lawson."

"I would never hurt your daughter, Mrs. Baker, I-"

The phone clicked off. Mike looked down at the screen. Falling back on the pillows, he stared at the ceiling, feeling lost and alone. Miles and miles away in her bedroom, Ginny was doing the same thing.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day was dark, gloomy. Mike sat up, the humidity making each of his joints ache, but it was nothing compared to the feeling inside his head. He'd tried calling Ginny 3 times after her mother had hung up on him, but it went straight to voicemail. Either Janet had screened his calls...or Ginny didn't want to talk to him. He spent the rest of the night agonizing over different scenarios in his head.

He used the back exit to the hotel, having no desire to deal with the press or anyone else who might recognize him and talk to him. All he needed to do was get through this game. The Padres had a few days off afterwards. He could go home. He'd talk to her then. It would be better in person.

He watched the rain fall outside the car window as it took him to Yankee stadium. It was already an austere, gray structure, but the lack of sunlight and the misery of the weather and his mood made it look even worse. He wasn't feeling it. He looked down at his phone, hoping that Ginny had called. There was nothing. His stomach clenched as the car pulled into the parking lot. Mike lowered his hat over his eyes and stepped out, bracing himself against the weather. He was one of the first of the Padres to get to the guest clubhouse. Sitting in his chair, he looked miserably down at the phone.

"Mike."

He hadn't noticed how much time had passed. Blip was standing in front of him, frowning.

"Hey." He gave him his best smile. "I was just-"

"Don't even try it, man." Blip muttered, sitting heavily next to him. "I know you're hurting."

Mike ducked his head and turned his chair as more players shuffled in. They didn't pay him any mind, too busy recounting the previous night's debaucheries to notice their ageing captain. It should have bothered him, but he was grateful.

Blip turned his chair around as well, lowering his voice. "Have you talked to her?" Mike shook his head. "Mike." Blip sighed.

"I tried, okay?" Mike growled. "Her..." He glanced over his shoulder. The guys were still ignoring him. "Her mom answered."

"And?" Blip arched an eyebrow.

Mike snorted. "Well, let's just say I won't be making the Baker family Christmas card list." He looked at his fingers. "I ruined her life."

"Mike."

"She's being persecuted, Blip." He said.

"And how is it your fault?" Blip said. "You didn't take those pictures."

Mike glared over at him. "So you're judging her too?" He growled, holding out his hand. "Give me your phone. Let's see how upstanding you and Ev are."

Blip shifted back. "No way man."

"Thought so." Mike leaned back. "I just..." he looked at Blip. "It's not just that she won't call me back...It's me too. Rachel said...that I like chasing, not having."

Blip shook his head, looking at the ceiling.

"Rachel is projecting." His tone was measured. He always watched his words when talking about her, knowing that the subject upset Mike. "She likes being chased, not being had and she's decided that because that's the case, that the reverse must apply to you." He nudged Mike in the side. "Baseball didn't end your marriage, Mike. I know you maybe weren't as...amazing of a husband as me, but that's because I set a pretty high standard."

Mike snorted.

"But you were a decent one." Blip said. "And while you wouldn't completely compromise your career to suit her, you have to realize that you did make some sacrifices...and that she never met you halfway when it came to what she wanted. The person who threw it away was her." He shook his head. "Don't base anything between you and Ginny on what Rachel said."

Mike nodded, looking back at his phone. "She's not answering my calls." They both knew he was no longer talking about Rachel.

"Maybe she's hurting too." Blip shrugged, patting him on the back. "Get your head in the game, we're going to need our captain if we want to beat the Yankees...even if we're probably going to work double to compensate for all your mistakes on 1st."

"Who's on first?" Mike asked, innocently.

"An aging asshole who's jokes are as old as he is." Blip shook his head as he went through his bag for his headphones. "Who's on first, I swear."

Mike bit back a smile. Ginny had never seen the routine before, but he'd made her watch it during one of their late night phone calls. She'd laughed for a good five minutes, though he suspected it was more at his terrible impression than at the actual joke.

Ginny.

He squeezed his eyes shut and put his phone in his bag.

* * *

She went straight to work the next morning, deciding to concentrate on anything that wasn't baseball or Mike Lawson. Her phone was on the coffee table. She grabbed it as she went past, taking Satchel with her. She ignored her mother, who was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Ginny." Janet called. "GINNY."

She slammed the door of her apartment, taking the stairs out of her building. Her mother was liable to use the wait at the elevator as an excuse to try and talk to her and she wasn't ready for that yet. She looked at her phone. Nothing. No calls. No texts. She bit her lip, unsure what to do. Mike had never ignored a call from her for this long. Putting her phone in her bag, she drove to the clinic.

"Hey." Eliot said, grinning from behind the desk as she walked in. She motioned towards the TV that was playing pregame coverage. "The game's being delayed because of ra-"

"Turn it off." Ginny ordered. Eliot picked up the remote and clicked off the TV. The clinic fell silent. Ginny swallowed. "Do...do we have any appointments today?"

"No..." Eliot mumbled, looking away. Ginny shut her eyes.

"What is it?" She braced herself for bad news.

"There's been..." He wrung his hands. "The people who had appointments today cancelled."

Ginny's jaw clenched. She nodded. "Okay." She said. "Well, maybe we'll have some walk ins." She turned and went to her office.

"Ginny." Eliot said. She stopped, turning towards him, holding the door. "For what it's worth. The person who leaked them should be ashamed of themselves."

Ginny nodded. "That doesn't stop people cancelling their appointments." She murmured.

Eliot shrugged. "It'll blow over."

There was a crash from outside. Ginny frowned and walked towards the door only to duck as something hit the glass in the door. She wrenched it open, just in time to see a car speeding away.

"CAN'T EVEN FACE ME, HUH." She shouted after them. "WHAT, YOU CAN ONLY PICK ON A GIRL FROM THE SAFETY OF A MOVING VEHICLE?"

Eliot tugged on her arm.

"What?" She growled. Eliot put his hands up.

"You need to come back inside." He said. "You can't be out here..." He trailed off. She sighed. If anyone had caught her outburst on camera...she'd end up on TMZ. Mike Lawson's Crazy Goldigging Slut. She was about to go back inside when she caught sight of her car.

"Oh...no." She said, walking over to her car. "No no no no no." Her windshield had been smashed in and the word Tramp was spray painted across the side in bright red. She shuddered, feeling sick, weak, clammy. A scream was building in her throat, threatening to tear through her. Eliot pulled her inside. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't focus. Eliot forced her into a chair.

"Ginny." He said, pushing a water bottle into her hands. Her hands were shaking so hard, she couldn't open it. He helped her. She swallowed, trying to calm down, but her throat seized. She coughed, spitting up the water. Wiping at her mouth, she shook her head. "Why is this happening?" She whispered.

"Maybe you should call-"

"I did." Ginny said. "Yesterday and...he hasn't called back." She pulled her phone out and looked at it. Nothing. She covered her mouth. "What if he...what if my mom was right and he doesn't have any use for me and now-"

"Screw him." Eliot said.

"Huh?" Ginny looked up.

"If he doesn't see how amazing you are, he doesn't deserve you." Eliot said. "You're my best friend, Gin. He doesn't get to hurt you like this."

Ginny bit her lip.

"Hug?" Eliot said, holding up his arms. Ginny scrunched her face. "I think you need a hug." He said. "Come on."

Ginny rolled her eyes and moved in. "Fine." She mumbled, letting him hug her.

"Yeah." Eliot said ."Eliot and Ginny. Best veterinary team on the West Coast."

Ginny smiled. "This is getting weird." She mumbled. Eliot nodded.

"You're probably right." They pulled apart.

"So...wanna watch the Yankees kick the Padres asses?" Eliot asked. Ginny lowered her eyes.

"Just because...things are bad between us." The thought hurt her but she pressed on. "Doesn't mean I want my favorite team to lose...especially to the Yankees." She wrinkled her nose.

Eliot nodded.

"Though I guess..." She sighed, looking around the clinic. "It's not like we have any patients today." She picked up the remote and turned up the TV.

* * *

It's pouring. Mike wanted to pace, but the damn humidity made it too risky. If it kept up, Al would probably pull him and he wanted to be in top shape in order to make the case that he could play, even if it was on first.

"I've got an idea..." Blip said, pulling a box out of his bag. Mike's eyes narrowed as he recognized it.

"Did you go through my cubbie?" He asked. Blip shrugged.

"Unlike some people, I actually checked the weather forecast..." He pushed the box in Mike's hands. "Captain?"

Mike sighed, opening the box, frowning down at the gavel. "We'll need a jar." he mumbled. Blip grinned, pulling one out from his bag. "Alright!" Mike turned and faced the other Padres, holding up the gavel. "Kangaroo Court will now come to order. Everyone write your complaints."

He and Blip pulled their chairs up to a table and watched as the guys scrambled to write out claims and put their chairs in order. Mike banged his gavel down.

"Order." He said. "You know the rules, everyone here is considered guilty until I decide so. This session of Kangaroo Court will come to order. Even if we're in enemy territory, tradition must continue."

"Tradition's all he's got." Livan muttered to Robles. Mike banged his gavel.

"That's 10 dollars for talking out of turn." He said. Livan arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now. The honorable judge Lawson will hear your complaints. But first, I accuse myself of being handsome and judge myself...guilty as charged."

Blip rolled his eyes. Mike leaned back, relaxing slightly. It was easy and fun to get into the character of carefree Mike Lawson.

"Bailiff."

"Don't I get judged handsome?" Blip asked.

"Unless you want to be fined for being fine." Mike said. Blip nodded, pulling up the jar of complaints.

"Okay, first up, Salvamini, you are charged with excessive showing of baby pictures."

"Salvi, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mike asked.

Sal shrugged. "Just that my baby's gorgeous and I want the world to see."

Mike and the other guys groaned. "I find you guilty. That'll be 20 dollars and I charge you with getting an instagram to share those pictures with people who actually care." He slammed the gavel down. "Next case."

Voorhies was accused of using a spray tan. Butch, of buying a hair piece. Miller of using his wife's shampoo and conditioner, which Mike had to admit gave his hair that extra something.

The court was working. He was actually enjoying himself and not thinking about the cellphone whose silence was weighing heavily in his pocket.

"Next case." He said. Blip was silent. Mike looked over at his friend. "Bailiff?" Blip put a slip of paper in his pocket and reached for another one. Mike frowned. "Sanders."

Blip shook his head. "Later."

"No." Mike didn't need to be coddled. He held out his hand. Blip shook his head, pulling the paper out of his pocket and gingerly depositing it in Mike's hand.

Mike un-crumpled the paper. He grit his teeth. "Mike Lawson." He read. "Is being held in contempt for non disclosure of the fine ass he was tapping." He looked up, glaring at his assembled team. None of them met his eyes. A tense silence fell. "Is this funny to you?" He asked quietly. None of them answered. "IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU?" He stood. "Well." He handed Blip the gavel. "Seeing as I'm a defendant...I'll recuse myself to face this claim." He took a deep breath.

"3 and a half months ago I met...a woman who completely turned my life upside down. She's not..." He grit his teeth. "She's not just a piece of ass. And despite what you might believe, she's not some type of groupie." He looked around, daring someone to contradict him. All of the guys were looking at him with rapt attention. All, he noted, except Omar Robles, a recent addition to the team. He'd sunk in his seat. Mike's eyes narrowed. "I gave my life to this game." He growled. "I lost everything, and for the first time in a long long time I was happy. But I get it. I'm not allowed to have anything good or decent in my life. But I will not sit here and let you refer to her as just a piece of ass." His throat closed. "This team...it was all I had..." He turned and stormed out of the room.

Pulling out his phone, he called Oscar. When he answered Mike said.

"Get me Chicago."

* * *

When Ginny got home, her mother was sitting on the couch.

"How was work?" She asked.

"Quiet." Ginny mumbled going to her fridge for a beer. Janet sighed.

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"Ginny."

"What do you want from me, mom?" Ginny snapped. "Because I had a really terrible day and I don't need another lecture."

"Baby, I-"

"Don't..." Ginny held up a hand. "I'm going to walk Satchel. When I come back if you want to talk about anything that isn't Mike related I'm game. Otherwise dinner is going to be silent." She abandoned the beer on the counter and went to the door.

Satchel seemed happy for the distraction of a jog and she was happy to be anywhere that wasn't near her mother. She let Satchel loose at the park. He didn't move, staying at her side as she jogged.

An hour later, she came back into the apartment. Her mother had the TV on. It was on a sports show. Ginny grit her teeth as she saw the Padres-Yankees game on recap.

"It's not surprising that the Padres played as poorly as they did, considering the fact that team captain Mike Lawson was noticeably absent from the dugout."

Ginny shut her eyes. "Is this really necessary?" She asked.

"You need to hear this." Janet murmured.

"Their game's liable to get much worse if the rumors swirling Lawson are true." The anchor continued. "There's talk that he waived his no trade clause and that he's got several teams scouting him, including the Chicago Cubs."

Ginny's stomach clenched. It couldn't be true. Mike loved the Padres. Hell, he was the Padres.

"While this might be surprising, recent revelations about the veteran catcher's personal life might have had something to do with his desire to change locations."

Ginny felt the walls closing in on her. "My...they're saying this is my fault?"

Janet looked at her sadly. "Baby, I wanted to protect you from this."

Ginny ignored her, grabbing her phone.

"What are you doing?" Janet asked.

"I'm calling him." She said. "I'm done sitting around, waiting for him to contact me. We're having this out."

"Ginny, that man doesn't care about you."

"I need to hear him say that." Ginny snapped.

Janet shook her head sadly. "I should have let him tell you the night before."

Ginny lowered her phone. "What?"

Janet didn't say anything.

"Mom." Ginny said softly. "What did you do?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Oscar, what the hell?" Mike shouted into the phone as he stormed into Laguardia airport. People jumped out of his way, looking at him in alarm as he walked past. He didn't care. He'd wanted to talk to Ginny about the trade, the pictures, everything and now the entire country knew he was considering leaving the Padres and they were blaming her.

"You wanted to be traded." Oscar replied.

"I know, but..." Mike glared around him before going straight to the American Airlines counter. "I was kinda hoping it wouldn't be news until it happened." There was a silence. Then:

"Well the front office thought that the trading rumors would sell tickets." Oscar said. Mike glared up at the ceiling. Of course that was what had happened.

"Glad to know my life falling apart at the seams is profitable for you." Mike muttered, hanging up. Glaring at the person behind the counter, he said. "I need a ticket on your next flight to San Diego."

"It's tomorrow morning, sir." The man said.

Tomorrow would be too late. "That's not good enough." He growled, slamming his hand on the counter. "I need one now." It was childish, but it had the desired effect.

The man flinched, jumping to type on the computer. "There's a flight to Oakland that leaves in 20 minutes." He said after a few minutes. " You can get a connecting flight to San Diego from there."

"Put me on it." Mike snapped.

"First class or-"

"It doesn't matter." Mike cut him off, pulling out his wallet and putting his credit card on the counter. "I need to be on that flight."

The man nodded. Mike pulled out his phone and called Ginny. It rang twice before going to voicemail. He swallowed. "Ginny, it's...it's me. I'm coming home and I...I want to see you. We need to talk."

* * *

Ginny gaped at her mother. "He called me?" She couldn't believe that this was happening. Her mother didn't seem phased, in fact she seemed relatively calm even considering that she'd dropped a nuke on her daughter's personal life.

"I didn't want you to-" Janet began.

"He CALLED ME?" Ginny shouted, turning away from her.

"Ginny." Janet put her hand on Ginny's shoulder but she pushed it off, her throat closing.

"What..." She said slowly, fighting back the tide of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. "What gave you the right to...to tell him go away. To not contact me again?"

"I was-"

"This is my LIFE, mom." She backed away. "All I've ever done is for other people. Mike is...was the one thing that was for me and you...you took that away from me."

Her phone rang. Ginny and Janet looked at the kitchen counter. She could see Mike's name on the caller id. She hesitated, the trading rumors stopping her impulse to jump on it. Did it mean he wanted to leave her? That he was angry? Janet looked at her sadly. "Even you know that I'm right."

"No." Ginny said, lunging for the phone. Her hand over shot the distance and she knocked it to the floor. She dove for it, but was too late. The phone smashed on the ground. She picked it up, frantically pushing the power button. The cracked screen stayed blank. She glared at her mother before grabbing her jacket and keys.

"Where are you going?" Janet demanded.

"I'm driving over to Evelyn's." If she couldn't call Mike. She'd go to the one place she was sure he'd go when he came back to San Diego; Leia was there. Whistling for Satchel, she paused in the door. "I know you think you did this for me, but you didn't. And until you can admit that...I don't know if I can ever forgive you." She slammed the door.

She rang Evelyn's doorbell, looking around, nervous. One of the twins opened. "Maaamaaa." He shouted. "Ginny's here."

Evelyn rang to the door. She opened her mouth to say something, but froze when she saw the look on Ginny's face. "Come inside." She pulled her in. "In in."

She shooed the boys to their room with a promise that they could play video games for as long as they wanted.

"It'll cost me parenting points down the way, but this is more important." She said, opening up the cabinet and pulling out a bottle of wine. "Okay, tell me everything."

She did. Everything from dating Trevor to those stupid pictures and how Trevor had lied, saying he was planning on going to medical school and instead had signed to the Cardinals and instead of telling her, planned on moving her to Arizona with him. She told her about Mike and how she'd tried to call him and her mother's interception of his return call. The car, the brick through the window, the way all her clients had cancelled. "Now they're saying he's going to Chicago and..." She shut her eyes. "He hates me."

"Honey," Evelyn murmured. "He doesn't hate you."

"Of course he does." Ginny said. "After what happened with Rachel, he probably thinks I cheated on him. Which is why he's going to Chicago."

Evelyn's eyes widened. "He...he told you about Rachel?" She whispered. Ginny nodded. "Ginny...Mike didn't tell anyone about Rachel except for me and Blip. He took the blame for ending their marriage and let everyone think he cheated on her."

Leia waddled in. At the sight of Ginny and Satchel, she howled in excitement and charged, knocking the larger dog over. Satchel stayed down as Leia licked his face.

Ginny watched them glumly. "What does it matter now?" She put her head in her hands.

"What does it matter?" Evelyn looked angry. "He's known you not even 4 months and he shared the deepest darkest parts of his soul to you."

"and he thinks I cheated on him."

"Not if he's smart." Evelyn said. "And certainly not once I'm done with him." She pulled out her phone. "And don't worry about your clinic. I'll fix everything." She shook her head. "You should have come straight to me." She muttered. She paused as the phone vibrated. "Speak of the devil." She held up, showing Ginny the caller Id. Mike.

"Um..." She was suddenly terrified at the prospect of talking to Mike.

Evelyn shook her head. "This needs to happen in person." She said. "Preferably where I can watch because the two of you are fire." She glanced at Ginny. "Plus, now that I know what's underneath that-"

"Ev." Ginny said, worried that the phone would go to voicemail.

"Right." She answered it, putting it on speaker. "Mike?"

"Ev." Mike sounded exhausted. "I'm on a plane to Oakland with a connection to San Diego, it's taking off in about 5 minutes."

"Leia misses you." Evelyn said.

"I miss her too."

"And..." Evelyn prompted.

"Why Ev, what would Blip say?" Mike's voice was flat, the joke uninspired. Ginny winced.

"Mike, you know who I'm talking about." Evelyn said. Mike sighed.

"Have you seen her?" He almost whispered the question. Ginny shut her eyes, unsure if she wanted to continue listening to this.

"Yeah...she looked about the same way you sound." Evelyn said. Ginny shot her a look. "Well, no actually, she didn't look that bad, she's gorgeous."

Mike let out a small strangled sigh. "I'm going to talk to her the second I get back to San Diego."

"No." Evelyn said. "I mean...You need to go to your house first."

"What?"

"Mike...trust me. Go to your house first."

"Ev-"

"MIKE." Evelyn cut him off. "Have I ever steered you wrong? Go to your house first."

"Oh...okay." He sounded confused.

Evelyn hung up. "Get your dog." She said. "I'll get Leia's stuff. We're going to Mike's."

Ginny followed her. Evelyn made her get into her car before going over to the neighbors. "Okay, she'll watch the boys while I'm gone." Evelyn said as she got into the car. "Now, we're driving over to Mike's place and you're going to stay there until he gets home. The two of you are going to talk, make up and have extraordinary make up sex. After which, you will call me to share the vivid explicit details."

"Ev-"

"That last part is non negotiable." Evelyn turned on her in car calling app before pulling out of the drive. "Call Angie." She instructed.

"Ev?" Angie replied.

"Hey girl. Listen, you have a dog, right?"

There was a pause. "I'm not letting your husband do another photo shoot with Buster, Ev."

"It's not about that." She said. "You remember how you mentioned you couldn't find a good vet?" She glanced over at Ginny. "Dr. Ginny Baker's clinic is amazing."

Angie sighed. "As in Mike's new girl."

"He loves her and she's amazing." Evelyn said. When Angie didn't respond, Evelyn said. "Would I lie to you?"

"No." Angie admitted. "If you say she's good, I believe you."

"Excellent." She said. "And spread the word to the other WAGs with pets. I'm going to call Sandra and Pilar." She frowned. "And don't front like you don't love those photo shoots."

Angie laughed. "I do, but this way if my husband asks at least I tried to stop Blip."

Evelyn grinned as she hung up, glancing at Ginny. "That's Salvamini's wife. There are at least 7 other players whose families have pets and that's not counting Javanese's sister's cat, Evers' brother's dog, and Butch's mother's dogs." She grinned at Ginny. "WAGs support each other."

Ginny was floored. "Why are you doing this for me?" She asked.

Evelyn gave her a kind smile. "Because you're like Mike. When he turned up on our doorstep after Rachel...he had that same look in his eyes that you did tonight. The two of you need people to love and understand you. You both have so much to give to the person you love and you know what its like to have that taken advantage of." She sighed. "Mike's family, whether he likes it or not. And you...you're family now too." She grinned. "Plus. WAGs support each other."

"I'm a WAG now?" Ginny asked.

"Uh huh." Evelyn said. "You're a G, G."

Ginny winced and looked around. "Where are we?" The neighborhood they were driving through was extremely upscale and clearly full of new money. Art Deco and modern architectural nightmares lined the streets. "Mike lives...here?"

Evelyn laughed. "Oh wait till you see his house."

Ginny frowned. "Well..." She pointed to what looked like a glass prison box ahead of them. "As long as it's not that one." A smirk grew over Evelyn's face. "No." Ginny said, looking back at it in horror. "No?" Evelyn's smirk grew. Ginny put a hand over her eyes.

"Still wanna fix things with him?" Evelyn asked.

Ginny nodded. "He'll have to invest in curtains, though." She mumbled.

Evelyn grinned. "That's my girl."

* * *

It was nearly 1 am when Mike finally walked into his house. Leia waddled up to him. "Hey, princess." He mumbled, looking at her in surprise. "Are you the reason Evelyn told me to come back here?"

Something stirred on the couch. Satchel jumped off it and rushed towards him, his tail wagging. Mike froze. If Satchel was here... He forced himself to walk towards the couch, holding his breath, hardly daring to hope. He didn't look down until he was in front of it.

Ginny was curled up on his couch. Asleep. She'd covered himself in her jacket and had a pillow clutched against her. Mike sucked in a breath, unbelievably relieved. She stirred as he sat next to her. "Mike?" She whispered, her eyes blinking open. She squinted at him through the dark. He brushed his fingers over her cheek. She was here. She was real. Her hand covered his.

"I'm here." He managed to force past the lump in his throat.

She tried to sit up. "Mike I-"

"Shhh." He shifted closer. "Ginny, I'm...I'm exhausted. Right now all I want is..." He pulled her up, she moved, settling on top of him so they were both lying on the couch. Mike wrapped his arms around her. "All I want is this."

She shivered, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. "I'm sorry."

Mike shut his eyes. "Not your fault." He didn't need to talk tonight. They could fix everything in the morning.

"I-"

"Shhh." He squeezed her. "Tomorrow." He whispered. She nodded. They fell into a silence. All that was in the darkness was her and the sound of their breathing.

"Just one thing." Ginny said. Mike groaned, smiling in spite of himself. That was his Ginny, she just couldn't let anything go.

"You can't leave well enough alone." He kissed her forehead. She squeezed her hands in his shirt. He looked down. Her eyes were open, clear.

"I love you, Mike." She whispered. His heart lept and his chest constricted. It was everything he'd wanted to hear the last couple of days. Everything he needed. She pressed her head back down.

"I love you too." He managed.

* * *

The next morning Ginny blinked her eyes open. The smell of bacon, eggs, and waffles wafted towards her. She swallowed, sitting up. Mike was in his kitchen, his back to her, bent over the stove. Her breath caught. She thought she'd dreamed him coming in the night before. She slowly got off the couch, walking towards him. He turned, pan and spatula in hand. They stared at each other. Ginny looked at the kitchen island. She cleared her throat, motioning to the plates.

"Expecting company?" She hoped the joke would ease the tension. He dropped his gaze, emptying the eggs onto the plate.

"Well, this crazy lady broke into my house last night." He said. "Figured the polite thing to do was feed her."

"Evelyn let me in." Ginny mumbled.

"I guessed." he said.

A silence fell. It was awkward. She hated this. Things weren't usually awkward between them. Ginny looked at the plates of food. "So..." She said. "You cook?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"That's..." She trailed off.

"I don't want to talk about my cooking skills." He said. "As amazing as they might be."

Ginny bit her lip, unsure where to start. "I talked to my mom. She said...she said you called and that she said some things to you." She took a deep breath. "Mike, those pictures. They were from years ago. I thought Trevor had deleted them, but...Are you really going to play for the Cubs?"

He hung his head, confirming her worst fears. He was going to leave her.

"Was it...was it because of me?" She asked, needing to know.

He swallowed. "I'm not going to lie and say it was unrelated." He shut his eyes. "There were tons of contributing factors. Not least of which was...that I was sure you were angry at me...and that you could do better." He paused. "Plus...some...some pretty shitty things happened in the clubhouse the last couple of days." He murmured. "I just...I didn't want to...I was worried that there was nothing left for me in San Diego."

"Mike." Ginny breathed. "I know my mom said-"

"You said you loved me." He interrupted. "Last night when I came in."

She nodded. "You said you loved me too."

"Do you?" He asked.

"Yes." She said. "I do."

He reached out across the kitchen island, she put her hand in his. "Then that's all that matters." He lifted her hand to his lips. "We can figure the rest out."

"But Chicago."

"I don't think I have it in me to do more than one more season, Ginny." He came around, pulling her close. "I'm willing to try this long distance, because... I don't see a life after baseball that doesn't include you." He looked worried, as though he'd said too much.

She moved closer, wrapping her arms around him.

"So those are my cards." He said. She pulled back slightly. He was close, his nose brushing against hers. "Think you could live with that?"

"I think I can." She whispered. "I won't like it...you being so far away, but-"

Mike's phone rang. The two of them groaned. Mike looked up at the ceiling. "What now?" He grumbled, going to the table and grabbing the phone. "Oscar, I'm..." His expression changed. "Really?" He said, listening to the man on the other line. He turned to grin at Ginny. "No. That's...that's too bad...bummer, really." His tone didn't match his words at all. He walked forward, pressing Ginny into the island. "Thanks, bye." He hung up, dropping the phone on the table.

"Mike what was that?"

"I..." He reached down and picked her up. As if it was a reflex, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms going over his shoulders. "Am not going to Chicago."

"Wha-" Her question was cut off by Mike kissing her. She lost herself, gripping his shirt, her head swimming. He was staying, he was here, he was hers. They broke apart, breathing heavily. "The trade fell through?" She asked, putting her hands on both sides of his face. She could melt in his eyes. Brown with flecks of green and currently trained on her.

He nodded, pulling her away from the kitchen island.

"Mike!" She yelped, wrapping herself tighter around him. "Your knees."

"Are fine." He mumbled, rocking his hips forward and oh was she not expecting that. Her brain shorted out as Mike walked towards his bedroom, depositing her on his bed. He stood at the edge of the bed, looking at her. Her throat went dry. She wanted more, but he seemed content to just look at her. She squirmed slightly.

"Mike."

"Just..." He brushed his finger against her ankles. She jumped, goosebumps forming on her skin. "I've thought about this... Can't believe it's actually real"

She hummed. "Are you sure? Senility could be setting in, old man."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh...I'll show you old man." He moved over her, his body melding with hers as he nuzzled her neck. His beard was soft and she arched her back upwards when he pulled away, chasing the sensation. He chuckled. "Trying to take off your shirt, Gin." His voice rumbled in his chest. "So you can have this beard you love all..." He pulled her shirt off. "Over..." He unhook her bra and let a small groan at the sight of her breasts. "You." He ground into her and she couldn't help the small whine that escaped her at the feeling of his erection pressed against her. Even through all her clothes she could tell; Mike was big. Bigger than probably anyone she'd ever been with.

The revelation made her squeeze her legs together. Mike chuckled, sliding slowly down. "Someone likes the beard." He teased.

"Not..." Ginny grit her teeth as he peeled her pants off her legs before resettling between them. "Not enough evidence."

"Oh." Mike purposely looked at the crotch of her underwear. It was soaked, she could feel it as she shifted. "I'd say there's plenty of evidence."

Her retorted was cut short by a cry as Mike pushed her panties to the side and pressed his tongue against her. She wasn't capable of thinking, speaking. Just...feeling. She rolled her hips, gripping Mike's hair trying to keep him in place, not that he was going anywhere. In fact, he seemed perfectly content to drive her completely out of her mind. She didn't hate the beard. She loved it. She needed it.

"Mike." She cried, her body shaking and her vision going white.

* * *

"It's your turn." Mike said, nudging her with his elbow. They decided to spend the rest of the day in bed, swapping secrets. So far he'd learned that she'd been part of a Beyonce cover group in college, that she'd let her brother cut her hair in 1st grade and had to wear a hat everywhere for 5 months (a padres hat, naturally) and that she was afraid of caterpillars. He'd told her about his dog, Jedi, the first time he'd picked up a baseball and how he'd once set his eyebrows on fire in chemistry class ("you see how dangerous facial hair is old man?" "Do you really need a refresher course in how much you love the beard.") Then there were the less silly things about their childhood. She told him more about her parents. He opened up about Dave Grissom and how his mother had used him to run scams when he was younger. They laughed, cried. They kissed when things got too heavy, but they didn't hide from each other. They were open, honest.

She hummed, stretching as she looked up at the ceiling.

"And I can ask anything?" She asked.

"Uh huh." He put his arm around her. "Especially..." He moved so his mouth was next to her ear. "If you want to ask me to pose like that poster of me you had in your room." Ginny's eyes closed and she rubbed her legs together.

"No poster." She mumbled. Mike laughed. It was adorable that she was still sticking to that story even when it was so obvious she was lying.

"I can still do the pose anyway." He pulled away from her and got up. "Let me see, it was probably my rookie poster. Which means..." He went over to his closet and grabbed a baseball bat. "That I was in the middle of a swing." He glanced over his shoulder at Ginny covering her face, trying not to laugh.

"Don't hurt yourself, old man." She said, sitting up. Her hair was tousled, her neck and chest covered in small hickeys that matched the ones she'd left on him. He also knew she probably had beard burn on her thighs, not that she was complaining.

"Guess it's a good thing my girl's a doctor." He winked, putting his bat up and pretending that a pitch was coming.

"Not that kind of doctor." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Though I do have experience treating old dogs..." She trailed off. Mike chuckled and took a swing, freezing with his bat up, shading his eyes as if he was looking after a ball. "STRIIIIIIIIKE ONE." Ginny said, imitating an umpire. Mike frowned at her. She was grinning, dimples on full display. He dropped the bat.

"That was a home run and you know it." He said, climbing up the bed, towards her.

"Wanna run the bases, Lawson?" She asked, her hands going to cup his face. She brushed her nose against his.

He captured her mouth, nipping at her lower lip. She deepened the kiss, rolling him onto his back, her tongue probing his mouth. He groaned, gripping her hips as she ground down on him. She pulled up.

"First." she said. He looked up at her, floored by her. Taking his hand she guided it to her stomach. He squirmed, his swelling erection pressing against her ass. She rolled her hips, pulling his hand upwards. He licked his lips, brushing his fingers against the underside of her boobs. She sighed, letting go of his hands, allowing him free range to do as he liked.

"Second." He said, rolling his thumbs against her hardening nipples, sitting up, he captured one in his mouth. Her hips stuttered against his. She was soaked, the slick coating his lower abdomen. He growled slightly, loving the way she gasped against him.

"Mike." She hissed. He let his other hand trail down, caressing her curves and gripping her ass. "Third." She panted out, grinding down on his fingers.

She slid down, lifting slightly. Mike's eyes fluttered closed as she guided him inside her. "Home." He whispered.

* * *

"The entire city of San Diego still hates me." Ginny mumbled later, swinging her legs on the kitchen counter. Mike was making them lunch and had banned her from any participation. ("I don't want lunch to cost me my house." "Burning this place down would be a public service, Lawson.")

Mike tilted his head, looking at her intently. "I may have an idea."

* * *

.

* * *

"It's been a week since Mike Lawson released those...shall we say personal? Photos of himself on the internet and they're still all anyone can talk about."

"Gin." Mike shouted over his shoulder. "Are you seriously watching this?" Ginny's head poked up over the side of the couch.

"Maybe?" She smirked, looking back at the TV. Mike walked over and handed her a beer before glaring at Satchel and Leia who'd taken his spot on the couch.

"Out of the way, mutts." he said. Ginny shook her head and scooted over, patting the space next to her. Mike debated standing his ground and making the dogs move but the prospect of being curled up next to Ginny was too tempting. He sat down, pulling her against his side. "Pretty soon they'll have taken over the entire couch." He muttered. Ginny wasn't listening. Her eyes were glued to the screen where they were showing the naked pictures Mike had posted to the internet. ("Tastefully nude, Baker" "Bareass naked, Lawson")

"If you want I can have them printed and blown up for you." Mike smirked. "That way you can update your poster collection."

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Mike Lawson's impromptu photoshoot, while a clear show of support for his girlfriend's leaked personal pictures, has begun a national conversation on the sexist way we as a society react to nudity."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Sure. Women have been body shamed since forever, but a man strips down and all of a sudden everyone's a feminist."

Mike chuckled. "What can I say Baker? I am the savior of feminism."

Ginny smacked him with a pillow.

"Of course Lawson needs all the good press he can get, considering his less than stellar performance on first base at last night's game."

It was Mike's turn to hit Ginny with a pillow as she laughed at the replay of Mike letting a ball go through his legs. Leia added a bark and Satchel grunted his agreement, making Ginny laugh even harder.

"So now everyone's against me." Mike frowned before grabbing Ginny around the waist. " I'll remind you that I only embarrass myself on first so my knees are strong enough to do this." He picked her up and marched her to the bedroom. Ginny waved goodbye to the dogs, laughing the entire way there.


End file.
